See You at the Altar
by samcarter2
Summary: A week aboard the Destiny with a wedding at the end.  contains original characters from my other three stories   Everett/OC
1. Chapter 1

See You at the Altar – Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I would like to thank everyone involved with the Stargate franchise for the many hours of entertainment over the years and would like to thank my friends and family for their encouragement. Please review and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: All characters and situations originating with SGU are not mine and will never be mine.

Dr. Melissa Mitchell turned over to see her fiancé Colonel Everett Young's chocolate-brown eyes staring at her. "Good morning, Babe." He pulled her close to him and gave her a very thorough kiss.

She smiled as she snuggled in his arms and said, "What a nice way to wake up!" Feeling the baby kicking, Missy placed Ev's hand on her baby bump and said, "I think someone feels left out."

"Good morning to you, Angel. Did you sleep well, Missy?"

"Yes, I did. And you?"

"I did too. Let's take a look at your back." He lifted up her shirt and the dressing. Her injuries were only a couple of days old, and he was glad to see that the bruising was almost completely gone. He hated what Telford and the other two idiots had done to her. "Wow, the bruising is just about healed. We could probably get rid of the dressing." He peeled the dressing off of her back.

"Thanks, Ev. That feels better. She sat up on the bed. "So, what's up for today?"

Everett replied, "Well, first, you and I are going to get something to eat, and then we'll go from there."

"That works for me," said Missy. Climbing out of the bed, she walked over to her duffel. "Let's see what I can still wear." She pulled out both of her uniforms and her sweatpants and t-shirt. When she tried the first pair of pants on, she had already outgrown them. "Well, I guess uniform one is done." Putting the second pair of pants on, she was relieved to find out that they still fit although she could tell they wouldn't fit for the rest of her pregnancy.

While Melissa had been doing all of this, Everett had finished getting ready and was watching her with an amused grin. He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. "Baby, I have told you that sweatpants are fine and that when yours don't fit anymore, you can use mine. I want you to be comfortable."

Relaxing into his embrace, Missy said, "Ok, Ev, sweatpants it is." She put them on along with Ev's t-shirt and her larger uniform shirt over that. "I guess all I need now are my boots."

"Which I have right here. Why don't you sit while I put them on?" Missy sat on the sofa and lifted each foot so he could put the boot on it. As he was lacing them up, he said, "Babe, let me know if you have problems with your feet swelling. I don't know what we'll do yet, but I'll figure out something."

Melissa gazed at him sheepishly. "I've already had issues with my feet, sweetheart."

Rolling his eyes at her, Ev said, "You need to tell me these things, baby. Ok, wear your boots today, and let's see what TJ says. She needs to look at your back anyway."

"Ok, are we ready then?"

"Yep." The two of them left their quarters and headed for the Mess. When they got there, Ev and Missy found that there were several tables pushed together and that Chloe Armstrong, Lieutenant Tamara "TJ" Johansen, and Eli Wallace were leading a spirited discussion.

Chloe saw them and said, "Hey, you two. Come over here and meet the wedding planning committee." The two of them sat down as Chloe continued, "Colonel, I think you know everyone, but you might not, Melissa." She pointed at the different people as she said their names. "This is Sergeant Harper, Lieutenant Colson, Dr. Miller, Airman Schulz, and Ms. Wilson."

TJ piped up, "Melissa, I was telling you about what Ms. Wilson found yesterday."

Ms. Wilson, a motherly brunette lady in her late 40's, admonished, "Lieutenant Johansen, I have asked you to call me Linda." She then turned to Melissa. "You must be Dr. Mitchell. You are absolutely lovely. I won't have any problem putting together something for you."

Missy ducked her head shyly, and said, "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome. Ok, we have several questions we want to ask you, but you are going to eat something first." Becker brought two additional rations to the table. "You need to keep up your strength for your little one. Did I hear right? Is it a girl?"

"Yes ma'am." Melissa began eating her ration.

Gently touching her arm, Ms. Wilson said, "No, you must call me Linda. I have to tell you, when I found that closet, you were the first person I thought of. I haven't been able to contribute a whole lot to our group here yet, but I knew I could do this."

Appreciating the feeling of being cared about by someone else, Melissa, her eyes brimming with emotion, said, "Linda, you may call me Melissa, and you have already done something nice for me. Thank you." Getting up from her chair, she said, I need to go put some water in my canteen. I'll be right back." She ran for the back water faucet before she could burst into tears.

Linda looked towards the back in concern. "Colonel, is she alright?"

Having caught the tail end of what Missy was feeling through their empathic link, Everett said, with a smile, "She'll be ok. I'll check on her in a minute if she hasn't come back. Linda, you need to understand something. Missy hasn't had what I would call a 'mama influence' for a long time. Her real mom died when she was 13, her adopted mom died about 10 years ago, and she was among the first group of women to be placed on SG teams. So, she has always been the role model. The closest role model for her was Colonel Carter. Nothing would please me better than for you to just keep up what you're doing."

"Oh, that's good. I can do 'mama' real well. And, Colonel, I make you a promise. By the time I'm done and she's walking down the aisle, someone's gonna have to remind you to breathe."

"I'll remember that." At that moment, Missy came back to the table, her eyes slightly red. Ev asked, "You ok, sweetheart?"

"Yes." She gazed at the others and said, "Sorry about that." Everyone nodded and told her not to worry about it.

They continued to eat and finished a short time later. Once Missy had pushed her bowl back and indicated that she was finished, Linda said, "Alright, time to start with the planning. We're going to ask you several questions. Colonel, feel free to add in your input too." She pointed to Airman Jessie Schulz. "Why don't you start?"

"Sir, ma'am, my group is working on decorations, and we would like to know what your favorite colors are?"

"Mine's blue," said Missy.

Ev said, "Mine's red."

"All right, that works," said Jessie. "Whoever's next can go.

"Ok, I guess I'll go," replied Sergeant Mike Harper. "Sir, Eli and I are going to work on the music, and we wanted to know what yours and Dr. Mitchell's favorite kind of music is."

Everett grinned at Melissa and said, "I think I can answer that for both of us. It's country."

"Yes," said Missy. "I actually have my IPOD here that has a lot of our favorite songs on it."

"I didn't know you had your IPOD, Missy."

Missy smiled and squeezed his hand as she said, "Oh, yes, and one of the songs is Every Day." She told the others, "That was the first song we ever danced to."

Busily jotting down ideas on a piece of paper, Mike said, "That will definitely be included. We need to go through everyone's IPODS and see what we have. Now, we probably won't have the wedding march, but I'm sure there will be something we could use for that part. I also want to meet with each of you separately." Missy and Everett both nodded at him in assent, and he said, "Ok, whose next?"

Linda said, "I guess that would be me. Dr. Miller is going to help me with your wedding dress, Melissa, and we also wanted to know how many are going to be in the wedding party."

Everett and Melissa looked at each other. "I hadn't even thought of that, Babe."

"Me either, sweetheart. Ok, let me think for a second. Scott's going to preside, right?"

"Yep, and Eli's helping with the music."

Remembering what Dr. Rush had said the previous night, Missy said, "Dr. Rush is going to give me away. That leaves…" She gazed over at Chloe and TJ. "Will you two be my bridesmaids?"

At the same time, both of them enthusiastically answered, "Yes!"

Looking towards the door as it opened, Everett saw Lieutenant Jim "Mac" McDonald and Sergeant Ronald Greer walk in, "Lieutenant, Sergeant, come over here for a second." They came over and said hello to everyone. Ev continued, "I was wondering if you two would like to be my groomsmen for the wedding."

"I would be very honored, Sir," said Greer.

"So would I," said Mac.

Linda was briskly writing on a pad of paper. "That makes seven including Dr. Rush and the two of you. Ok, perfect. All right, I want to take the ladies now to look at that clothing I found. Colonel, can you get Melissa's IPOD for Mike?"

"I can do that if she tells me where it is," said Ev.

Melissa replied, "It's in the side pocket of my duffel. I thought you knew I had it. I'm sorry."

Ev chuckled. "Its ok. I'm just playing with you, Babe." Everyone got up from the table. "Linda, where are you ladies going to be?"

"We'll be two halls over, third door on the right."

"Sounds good. I'm sending Lieutenant McDonald over there with a radio so I can reach Missy if I need her."

"That works. All right, ladies off we go." Linda, Chloe, Melissa, TJ, Jessie, Dr. Alaina Miller, and Lieutenant Marla Colson started to head out the door some of them chatting excitedly with the others.

Before Melissa left, Ev gave her a quick hug and kiss and whispered, "Have fun, baby. Love you."

Missy smiled at him and said, "Love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

See You at the Altar – Chapter 2

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

She hurried to catch up with the other ladies, and they all went down the hallway talking with one another. A few minutes later they arrived at the room where the closet was located. Linda opened up the closet and showed the rest of them what was in there. There were several white robes and beautiful flowing gowns—some were white and the others were different shades of blue, green, yellow, purple, and pink. Melissa's eyes went wide with awe. "Oh, those are all so pretty." As she was gazing at each dress, she came to a white one that was absolutely gorgeous. It had a scoop neck with beaded sleeves and beaded trim on the skirt and flowed down to the ground. Taking it off the rack, Missy said, "Linda, look at this one."

"Oh, Melissa, that is so pretty, and it looks pretty close to the right size."

Chloe gave a squeal of excitement. "That'll be perfect for you, Melissa." The other girls gave their hearty approval as well.

"I guess this is the first one I'm trying on." Missy turned to TJ and said, "Hey, when I get my shirt off, the Colonel wanted you to look at my back. He took the dressing off because he said it looked pretty good. He just wants to make sure it doesn't need another one."

"I can do that," said TJ. Melissa nodded and stripped down to her bra and panties. TJ looked at her back and said, "This looks fine. You don't need another dressing. The rest of the bruising should be gone in a couple of days."

"Thanks TJ."

Linda walked around and looked at Missy's back as well. "Melissa, what in the world happened to you?" Missy, TJ, and Chloe gazed at each other not knowing what to say. "You don't have to say if you don't want to."

"That's all right, Linda. Do you remember when Colonel Telford was here the other day?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, he doesn't like Everett a whole lot, and I kinda got in the middle."

"Ok, do I need to use the stones to go back to Earth and pummel him for you?"

Everyone burst out laughing. When TJ was able to talk again, she said, "Linda, there are a whole lot of Marines in line ahead of you."

Linda nodded in satisfaction. "Just wanted to make sure he didn't need lessons from me on how you're supposed to treat a pregnant woman. Let's get back to the task at hand. How about you try on this dress?"

Linda and TJ helped Melissa slip the dress on over her head. It glided over her body and flowed to the ground. Everyone looked at it in awe as Chloe said, "Melissa, you look like a princess. It's perfect."

Missy said with a huge smile, "I feel like a princess." At that moment, the door chimed startling all of them. "Who is it?"

"It's Mac, Melissa. I have the radio that the Colonel wanted you to have."

"Ok, come on in."

Mac walked in and noticed all the girls admiring the dress Melissa had on. "Wow, Melissa, that dress looks really nice on you!"

As Missy grinned and nodded her thanks, TJ put her hands on her hips and said, "Jim McDonald, you cannot say anything to anyone!"

"Whoa, whoa. I'm not planning to, TJ, for two reasons. One, I don't want to be in trouble with you, and two, I want to see the Colonel's face when she walks down the aisle and be the one to remind him to breathe." He pantomimed a zipper across his lips. "So, my lips are sealed."

Linda remarked, "You and I are kindred spirits, Lieutenant. Anything else?"

Mac thought for a second and then said, "Yes, Sergeant Harper wants to see Melissa when she's done here. He and Eli are talking to the Colonel now. Twenty people have already brought their IPODS over."

"All right, she'll be over there in a little while," said Linda. Mac nodded and left the room. She then turned back to Missy and asked, "Is that the dress you want?"

Melissa nodded eagerly while Linda and Alaina held a quick consultation. Linda then said, "Actually, we don't have to do a whole lot to this. Take a couple of inches off the bottom…"

Alaina added, "We should add an extra panel in the front as well, and I'm wondering if there's something with enough material to make something for her hair."

"Well, for her hair, I was hoping we could find material that would match the dresses that the bridesmaids are going to wear, and make a ribbon for her hair and a sash for her dress. See where it could be gathered in at the waist?"

"I do."

Linda started giving directions to the group. "Ok, Chloe and TJ, I want you to start looking in the closet for something that you can wear. Marla and Jessie, we need to pin Melissa's dress to the right length." Bending down to the floor with her bag of pins, she said, "I think we want it right above her ankles so start pinning it like this." Once she had showed them, the other girls got it right away and started with the task. Linda then asked Melissa, "What are you going to do about shoes?"

Ruefully grinning at her, Missy replied, "I don't know. My feet have been swelling in my boots. Actually, Everett wanted me to ask TJ about that too."

When she heard her name, TJ came over from the closet and took a look. "You know, Melissa, the best thing would be to find a bigger pair of shoes. What size do you normally wear?"

"I wear a size 9."

"Then a size 10 would probably be what you need, but I don't know any female on board with feet that big."

Jessie gazed up from the floor. "I do, ma'am. And I have an extra pair of sneakers that I would be willing to let you use for the rest of your pregnancy."

Melissa smiled warmly at the young airman. "You would have my everlasting gratitude if you could do that, and please call me Melissa."

"Ok, Melissa, I'll get them when we're done here." The girls continued to work on getting Melissa's dress pinned.

Meanwhile, Everett was in one of the smaller control rooms talking with Mike and Eli. He had been able to help them eliminate the songs off the IPODS that weren't country. Mike then said, "Alright, Sir, we were thinking during the reception that we would let each of you have a chance to do a dedication. You know a song that tells how you feel about Dr. Mitchell."

Ev thought for a moment and asked, "Where is that IPOD that Reynolds brought in?"

"It's right here," said Eli who handed it to him.

"Start up the first song; I think that's the one I want." Eli started the song which happened to be Trace Adkins' "All I Ask for Anymore". The three of them listened to it, and Ev thought to himself, 'This is so perfect.' When it got to the chorus, he started singing, "But when I bow my head tonight—there'll be no me, myself, and I—just watch my wife and kids please Lord—that's all I ask for anymore." He continued singing putting his feelings and emotions into it as the song continued. Once it was done, Mike said, "Sir that was good! You have to sing that to her during the reception."

"I agree with him," said Eli.

"Alright, I'll do it," said Everett. "Glad it didn't sound totally ridiculous.

Mike said, "Nope sure didn't. I used to DJ on the side. We had people doing karaoke that sounded a whole lot worse."

"Cool! Let's keep going through these songs. I think I'll let Missy decide on the one that we'll use in place of the wedding march."

In the meantime, Marla and Jessie had finished pinning Melissa's dress, and she had carefully stepped out of it putting her other clothes back on. Chloe and TJ had also found dresses which they had both tried on. Chloe's was a short sleeve blue dress with detailing at the collar and a full skirt while TJ's was a sleeveless blue dress with detailing at the waist and neckline and a full skirt as well. Melissa said, "I like both of those. What do you girls think?"

Chloe said, "I like this one a lot. It's a bit long, but I guess Linda can fix that."

"That's not a problem. We're going to use the extra material for Melissa's ribbon and sash," said Linda.

TJ added, "Mine's a little long too, but otherwise it's perfect."

"You two are going to look gorgeous, just like the bride," commented Linda. "Ok, Marla and Jessie, start pinning those dresses." While they were working on that, Linda and Alaina consulted with Melissa. Linda said, "I think we can have these dresses done by Friday. What do you think, Alaina?"

"Today's Sunday. Oh, we can have it done by Friday, easy."

"Ok, Melissa, how would you like to have the wedding on Saturday?"

Missy's eyes lit up as she thought of how long she had been waiting for this day. "Linda that would be perfect. I can't begin to tell you how much all of this means to me. I've loved Ev for a long time and to finally be married will be wonderful."

"Like I said earlier, I am thrilled to be able to do it." She raised her voice so the other girls could hear. "We have set a date for this wedding. It's going to be on Saturday. We'll have final fittings on the dresses on Thursday just in case we need to make any corrections on Friday. Melissa, why don't you go ahead and let the Colonel know about our decision?"

"I think I'll do that." Missy picked up the radio and turned it to the channel she and Ev normally used. "Mitchell to Young."

"Young here. What's up, Missy?"

"Well, Linda and Alaina have figured out what they need to do with the dresses and when they'll finish up, and they said Saturday would be a good day for the wedding. Is that ok with you?"

"Mike and Eli are both agreeing with me. They'll have all the music sorted by then, and you know that is definitely ok with me, Babe." Missy could hear the smile in his voice as he continued, "You about done there?"

"Yep. What do you need?"

"Mike and Eli would like to see you, and then apparently, you're in hot demand. Dr. Rush and Dr. Park would like to consult you on a translation."

"Well, I need to make a stop after I leave here. Where should I go first?"

"You know the small control room that's closest to our quarters. Go there first."

"Ok, see you in a few. Mitchell out."

"Young out."

Melissa then turned to Linda and said, "I need to go."

"That's fine. Alaina and I are going to get started on this right away."

The rest of the girls which included Chloe, TJ, Jessie, Marla, and Melissa headed out of the room and back towards the main crew quarters hall. Jessie said, "Melissa, if you have time to stop by my room, I can go ahead and get you the shoes."

"That would be great, Jessie!" They reached her room a minute later, and she found the extra shoes in her duffel and gave them to Melissa. "Oh, I would love to put them on now. Can I get one of you to help me with these boot laces?"

"I'd be glad to, Melissa," said TJ bending down to undo the boots. When they would not loosen right away, she said, "Ok, I have to have a chat with the Colonel about his knots." That sent the rest of the girls into giggles. She was finally able to loosen the knots. "There, I'm glad these other shoes are Velcro."

"Thanks TJ." Melissa slipped the other shoes onto her feet and pressed the Velcro fastening down. "Oh, these feel wonderful! Thanks so much, Jessie."

"You're welcome, Melissa." The girls got up and headed out of the room. "Listen, Marla and I have KP duty. We'll talk to you later."

"That sounds good. Jessie, please let me know if you need any help with the decorations."

"We will." Jessie and Marla turned left at the next corridor and headed towards the Mess while Melissa, Chloe, and TJ kept going straight. They passed by Melissa and Ev's quarters, and TJ and Chloe both asked, "Aren't you going to drop off the boots?"

"Nope," said Melissa shaking her head with an amused grin. "I'm gonna have some fun with the Colonel. Want to come and watch? I could really use your input on the music.

"Sure," said TJ, "this ought to be fun." The three of them walked to the small control room reaching it a few minutes later.


	3. Chapter 3

See You at the Altar – Chapter 3

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

When they went in, Everett was talking with Mike and Eli. "Hello ladies. Missy, the guys want to know what songs you want to be used from your IPOD. And they have something to ask you that I'm not allowed to hear so I'm gonna head out."

"How soon do I need to see Dr. Rush?"

"I've told him thirty minutes to an hour. They're going to work on another console until you get there."

"That sounds good. Oh, sweetheart, will you take these back to our quarters for me?" She brought the boots out from behind her back.

Giving her an incredulous look, Ev asked, "What are you wearing on your feet, young lady?" TJ, Chloe, and Missy burst out laughing.

TJ said, "Sir, look down."

Everett looked down at Missy's feet and saw the sneakers. "Oh, you were able to get another pair of shoes. Fantastic! Don't do that to me anymore though, Babe. You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry Ev, but I do wish I would have had a camera."

Laughing as he shook his head, "You, my dear, are a minx. I'll check in with you later. He gave her a hug, kissed her on the forehead, and then headed out.

Melissa, Chloe, and TJ all took seats as Mike began, "Dr. Mitchell, this is what we need from you. First, the Colonel said you could pick out the song that we're going to use in place of the wedding march. Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes, there's a song on my IPOD called There You'll Be."

"I remember that one," said Eli.

Melissa asked, "Can you cue it up so TJ and Chloe can hear it?"

"Sure." They started the song, and it played all the way through to the end.

When it finished, Chloe said, "I like that, Melissa. We can play some of it when we're coming in, and some of it when we're leaving." TJ nodded her approval of the song as well.

Eli said, "That's one item down. Now, the next thing, we told the Colonel to pick a song he wanted to dedicate to you during the reception. We want you to do the same thing."

Missy sat back in her seat and thought for a few minutes. Then she asked, "Are we doing Every Day for the first dance?"

"Yes," said Mike. "That was the first one the Colonel mentioned."

"Ok, on my IPOD then, is another song called I Just Call You Mine. Can you play it so they can hear it?" The song began playing, and after the first stanza, Missy knew it was the one she wanted to use. She started singing out loud. "And here I am, I want to be your everything. There you are, turning winter into spring. And everyone that sees you always wants to know you. And everyone that knows you always has a smile. You're a standing ovation after years of waiting for a chance to fall and shine. Everyone calls you amazing yeah, I just call you mine."

She continued with the second verse. "I fall apart and just a word from you somehow seems to fix whatever's wrong. Oh, you reach into my weakest moments and remind me that I'm strong. You've gotta know I'd be a fool not to see or even worse to forget that you're more than I deserved. Cause everyone that sees you always wants to know you. And everyone that knows you always has a smile. You're a standing ovation after years of waiting for a chance to fall and shine. Everyone calls you amazing, I just call you mine."

Finishing out with the final verse and chorus, Melissa sang with a voice that reflected all the love she felt for Ev, "Nothing makes sense when you're not here. As if my whole world disappears. Without you, what's the point of anything? Cause everyone that sees you always wants to know you. And everyone that knows you always has a smile. You're the dream that I've been chasing after years of waiting for a chance to fall and shine. Everyone calls you amazing, I just call you mine. Everyone calls you amazing, yeah, yeah, I just call you mine."

When she finished, the other four people in the room were crying. Chloe said, "That was the most romantic thing I've ever heard."

"Yeah," said Mike. "You could have had a career in music. That was totally amazing."

TJ asked, "You are going to sing that for him during the reception, right?"

"You really think it was that good?" asked Missy.

"Oh, yes," replied Eli. "Dr. Mitchell, it was quite good."

Missy grinned as she thought of how surprised Ev would be and said, "Ok, I'll do it. How are we going to schedule all of this?"

"All right, these are my thoughts, Dr. Mitchell," said Mike pulling out his legal pad. "You tell me what you like or dislike. We'll have the ceremony in the Gate Room and then go right into the reception. The first song will be Every Day which you and the Colonel will dance to; then we'll play two more songs; then we'll do one of the dedications, then we'll do two more songs, and then we'll do the other dedication. After that, we'll just play songs as long as people want to stay. We're gonna have plenty of music. That won't be a problem."

"Mike, all of that sounds great to me. I guess the question would be which of us goes first on the dedications.

"How about you let the Colonel go first. I think you'll like what he's chosen."

"Ok, I can do that. Do you need me for anything else?

"No, we just need to fill in the rest of the playlist now. If there's any question, we'll ask one of you."

"That's fine. I've gotta go. Apparently I'm popular today. They need me in the Control Room for something."

Eli gave her a look of concern. "Is everything ok up there?"

"I think so. It's just a translation issue." Melissa said farewell to the others and headed up to the main Control Room. When she got there, Dr. Rush and Dr. Park were each working at a console. "Hey guys. I was told I was needed up here."

Rush looked up and saw her. "Oh good, lass, you're here. It's this screen right here." He brought up the screen on his console. "I think we're about to bring up the first part of the code."

"Cool!" She walked over to the screen to take a look. "It says 'to open the health center you must have the right to be here.'" An unusual feeling came over her—like she was outside of her body and not in control of her actions. In a rapid voice, Missy said a string of numbers and letters, "56920rneow930sls", and then said the words, "kalana assum."

After that, a beam of light came from the console and scanned her eyes and palms while making her unable to move. She could dimly hear Dr. Rush and Dr. Park ask if she was ok and then heard someone say, "What the hell!" and "Missy!" A minute later the light let her go and she began to fall only stopping when a set of arms came around her from behind. When she turned around, she saw that it was Everett. "Are you ok, Missy?"

Coming back to herself, it took a minute for Missy to answer, but then was able to say, "I think so, Ev. What happened?"

"I only came in at the tail end of this." He gazed at the other two in the room. "What happened?"

Dr. Rush replied, "I had her looking at a console that we were having trouble translating. She said it said 'to open the health center you must have the right to be here'. Then she rattled off a series of numbers and letters and said two Alteran words. And that's when the light came on. Lass, if I had known it was going to do that, I wouldn't have asked you."

"I know, Doctor, it's ok. What Alteran words did I say?"

"You said kalana assum."

"That means health center. I'm wondering if I opened the main infirmary."

Dr. Park said, "I can bring it up on this console." She brought it up, and they saw lights blinking in a part of the ship they had not yet been able to access. "Well, there's something new that's open."

"Let's see about getting a kino sent over there," said Rush. He picked up his radio and called Eli. "Eli, can you come to the Control Room please? We've managed to open a new part of the ship and need a kino sent."

"On my way," said Eli. While they were waiting for Eli to come, Everett took Missy aside and asked, "Are you sure you're ok, baby? When I saw you caught by that light, the first thing I thought of was that you had found some Ancient head-sucker thingies."

Giving him a gentle smile as she touched his cheek, Missy said, "I don't think so, Ev. I think it was confirming that I had an Alteran gene. I hate to tell you. It will probably do the same thing to you."

"You're probably right, but for me, can you please be careful?"

"Sure, sweetheart."

At that moment, Eli came in with his kino controller. He looked at the screen, saw where the new lights were blinking, and told the group, "There's a kino two corridors over. This will just take a minute." He manipulated the controls, and they could see on the screen where the kino had come up to a door. When it got close enough, the door slid open, and the kino flew in. The group saw several beds and what looked like medical diagnostic equipment. Eli said, "I think we hit the jackpot. That certainly looks like an infirmary to me."

Everett grinned as he put his arm around Missy's shoulders, "I think you're right, Eli. Nice job everyone! Let's get some people over there to take a look." He toggled his radio, "Sergeant Greer, could you get Lieutenant Johansen and a couple of others together? We've just opened a new part of the ship, and we think it's the main infirmary."

They could hear an excited cheer on the other end. "TJ's here with me, Sir. Where do we need to go?"

Ev looked at the console and told him, "Go to the end of the crew quarters hall, turn right, and it's four corridors over on the left."

"Alright, we're on it. Get back with you in a few. Greer out."

"Young out."

Gazing at Everett excitedly, Melissa asked, "Can we go see it too?"

Ev replied, "Actually, after they've checked it out, I'm taking you down there. The triumphant expression on her face was replaced by a look of dismay as he continued, "So TJ can check you out."

"I guess I walked into that one didn't I, sweetheart?"

"Yep. Seriously though, I want to make sure you're ok, and if there's some kind of ultrasound machine there, that will be a bonus. We've been here for almost six weeks, and I would feel better if I could see a current picture of the baby."

Nodding at him in agreement, Missy said, "You're right, of course." A few minutes later, they saw Greer, TJ, and Mac enter the infirmary over the kino control. Once they had taken a look around, Greer turned towards the kino and said, "Everything looks ok down here if anyone else wants to take a look around." TJ yelled something from the corner of the room that they couldn't quite make out as Greer continued, "Oh, TJ wanted me to tell you that she found something that looks like an ultrasound machine."

Ev toggled his radio once more. "That sounds good, Sergeant. Thank you." He then turned to Melissa and said, "That's our cue, Babe." The two of them left the Control Room and headed towards the newly opened part of the ship reaching it a short time later.


	4. Chapter 4

See You at the Altar – Chapter 4

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

When they walked in, TJ glanced up from a console she was examining. "I thought you two would probably be the first ones down here. This is going to make the medical issues on this ship be a lot easier to deal with."

Everett said, "That's great, TJ. I've actually brought you your first patient." He turned to Melissa. "Missy, would you like to tell her how this place got opened or should I?"

Missy gave him a rueful grin. "Since I know you will not let this go, I will tell her." She gazed over at TJ. "I was translating a console in the Control Room when I started feeling strange like I wasn't in control of what I was doing. I actually don't remember anything else until I felt Ev catch me as I was falling. They said I said a bunch of letters and numbers and then said two Alteran words. After that, a light came on and scanned my eyes and palms, and I couldn't move. I'm thinking that it was scanning me for my Alteran gene, but he's concerned it's some kind of Ancient device."

Giving the Colonel an apologetic gaze, TJ said, "Melissa is more than likely right, but there's no harm in examining her. She pointed to the device she had found. "If this thing is actually an ultrasound machine, it would make me feel a lot better to know that everything with the baby is going well.

"That is exactly how I feel," said Ev.

At this point, Missy knew she wouldn't get away with not having an exam so she hopped up on a bed. TJ picked up what looked like a medical scanner and waved it around Missy's body. "This is showing blood pressure, circulation, heart rate, and respiration all within normal parameters."

"Well, that's good, right?" asked Missy.

"Yes, and this will really help with medical care. There's several of them in that drawer over there," replied TJ. She called out to Mac, "Come help me wheel this over here." They went and got the device that TJ thought might be an ultrasound machine and hooked it up next to the bed that Melissa was sitting on. TJ then attached several diodes to her baby bump and turned the device on. While they were waiting for it to power up, Ev sat down on the edge of the bed and held her hand. After a minute or two, TJ said, "I'm getting a picture. Everything looks really good."

"Can we see?" asked Melissa.

"Wait a second," said TJ. She called to Mac and Greer. "Alright, look at this, and tell me if you see the same thing I'm seeing."

"Why are you asking me?" asked Greer. "I know nothing about this stuff." TJ pointed at what she was observing. "Oh."

Mac said, "They're gonna freak."

"Lieutenant," said Everett who didn't like the expressions he was seeing on his officers' faces. "Care to share with the parents of said baby."

TJ turned the machine around where Ev and Missy could see the picture. She pointed to it and said, "Sir, Melissa, here is a picture of your daughter." Then she pointed to another part of the screen. "And here is a picture of your son. Remember what I said about Melissa being big for the date of conception. It has nothing to do with what we discussed previously. She's carrying twins."

"What?" exclaimed Ev. "Why, in the world, did the first picture only show one baby?"

"Two reasons," replied TJ. "First, the second fetus was probably behind the first fetus when Sims did the ultrasound, and the equipment wouldn't have picked it up. Second, this equipment is a lot more sensitive, and she's further along now."

Everett glanced back over at Missy who had gone white. "Twins, Ev? We're gonna have twins?

Softly smiling at her, Ev said, "Apparently so, Babe. Come on, lay back for a minute." She let him help her lay back as she got her breathing under control.

Once she was calmer, Mac winked at her and said, "You know, Melissa, this is actually a positive development. I have the chance to have a baby named after me now.

"No, I get first dibs," said Greer. He got into a playful tussle with Mac that had all of them laughing.

A voice came from the door. "What's up guys?" It was Eli who had Dr. Rush, Scott, and Chloe with him. "Dr. Rush and I thought we'd come and see the infirmary, and we picked up these two on the way."

"Well," said Ev, "tell you what, TJ, show them the ultrasound picture." She turned the machine around so the other four could see it.

It didn't take long for Dr. Rush to understand what he was seeing. Warmly smiling at Melissa, he came up to the side of the bed, kissed her cheek, and said, "Congratulations lass."

"Thank you Dr. Rush."

Chloe was the next one to get it. She asked as she pointed at the picture, "Melissa is that what I think it is?"

"What do you think it is, Chloe?"

She squealed as she gave Missy a hug. "I think there's gonna be another baby for us to love on; that's what I think."

"Another baby?" asked Eli. "You're having twins?"

"Apparently so," said Missy. As Scott congratulated her as well, the rest of the group got into an enthusiastic conversation about possible baby names. While they were talking, Missy noticed Rush standing over in the corner with a pensive expression on his face. She motioned him over. "Hey, are you ok? Ev told me about your wife and daughter." Pointing to her burgeoning stomach, she remarked, "This has to be very hard for you."

Rush replied, "Actually, I was thinking of how much I appreciated you including me as part of this family—an unusual one to be sure, but a family all the same."

Smiling through her tears of joy, Melissa took his hands in hers. "You're making me cry, Doctor. Of course, you're a part of this family."

"And with that, lass, I would like you to feel free to call me Nicholas."

As Missy nodded her assent, Everett, who had heard the last part of what she had said, stated, "Melissa is right. We are a family. I know we are going to get busy towards the end of the week, but with all of you here right now, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you for what you are doing for us and for all of your support." Everyone told him it was a privilege and that they felt the same about being part of a family. He said, "How about we go up to the Mess to celebrate?" There were general nods of agreement all around, and as they were getting ready to leave, Ev said to Missy, "Why don't you go on ahead, sweetheart? I'll catch up in a minute."

"That's fine, Ev." She walked out with Greer, Scott, Chloe, Mac, and Eli.

After they left, Dr. Rush came up to Everett and said, "Colonel, I think I know what the priority is now."

"Yep, we need to lay in a supply of food. There's a way of asking Destiny to look for that, right?"

"There is. I'll go up to the Control Room and type the request in before I join you all in the Mess."

A voice came from the corner. It was TJ who said, "I do agree we need to lay in a supply of food, but I found this as well." She held out a packet. "There are several of them in a drawer over there. Can you translate what's on the outside, Doctor?"

"Let me take a look, Lieutenant." He took the packet from her. "Oh, that's good. Colonel, this ought to relieve your mind a bit." He handed him the packet.

Ev asked, "What am I looking at?"

"Well, from what we have been able to find out so far, this was meant to be a ship of exploration so the ship was supposed to be multi-generational. This is a vitamin drink or supplement for pregnant women."

An expression of relief came over Everett's face. "Oh, good. TJ, how many of these were you able to find?"

"A bunch, Sir. We should be good for a while. I suggest she has one a day mixed with water along with regular rations. I'll let her know when we get to the Mess."

"All right, let's head out then." The three of them left the infirmary, and Dr. Rush went to the Control Room while Everett and TJ went to the Mess. When they got there, they joined the others who were sitting at a table in the corner. Sliding into the seat next to his fiancée, Everett grinned at her and said, "You'll never guess what TJ found in the infirmary."

Melissa gazed at them curiously and asked, "What, Ev?

He motioned to TJ who took the packet out and showed it to her. "I found this after you left, Melissa. There was a bunch of them in a drawer. Apparently, with Destiny being a multi-generational ship, they wanted to make sure that pregnant women had adequate nutrition. And since you are the only pregnant woman on the ship right now," She grinned at her and handed her the packet. "They are all yours. You should have one a day mixed with water."

She took the packet from her. "Cool! Thanks TJ." Missy unscrewed her canteen, opened the packet, and shook the powder into it. After she closed it and mixed the water and powder together, she opened it back up and took a sip. "Wow, it tastes like lemonade."

Greer winked as he nudged her. "Can I have some?"

Mac laughed from where he was sitting across the table. "Yeah, I want some too, Melissa."

Holding the canteen close to her, Missy said, "Nope, all mine, unless you can tell me that science has advanced beyond what I'm familiar with." She grinned and winked at them as the group chuckled.

Becker brought the group their rations, and they began eating. A few moments later, Dr. Rush and Dr. Park came up to the table. Rush addressed the Colonel. "I did what you asked, Colonel. Hopefully, something will come up soon."

"Thank you, Dr. Rush," said Everett.

"You're welcome." He motioned to Dr. Park. "I told Dr. Park the lass's news, and she wanted to come down and congratulate you both in person."

Melissa warmly smiled at the slim Asian woman. "Why don't you join us, Lisa?" The two of them sat down, and Becker brought two additional rations.

While they were eating, Lisa asked Melissa, "Did I understand Dr. Rush correctly? You're going to have a girl and a boy."

"Yes." She clasped Everett's hand. "It was just as much a surprise to us as it will probably be to everyone else."

"Well, that just means I'll have to start another one."

"Another one?" She gazed at her friend curiously.

Park grinned at them impishly. "Yep, and don't bother asking me what it is. It's a surprise for the baby; well, babies now."

Everyone laughed at the fake pouting expression that Melissa had on her face as they continued to eat their rations and had a good time talking and laughing. When they started to finish, TJ said, "Melissa, with today's news, you really need to be careful about how much time you're spending on your feet, and that means you should take a nap every afternoon as well as getting a full eight hours of sleep every night."

"I understand," said Missy.

Putting his hand on her shoulder, Ev said, "I was about to make that very suggestion to her. Thank you."

TJ nodded in response, and the group got up and went to clean their bowels and then separated to go in different directions. When they exited the Mess, Ev, who had his arm around Missy's waist, told her, "You've had a busy morning, baby. How about you take that first nap now?"

Smiling at him fondly as she rolled her eyes, Melissa replied, "Sure, sweetheart. I think priority number one needs to be getting used to the idea that we're going to have two babies instead of one." She stroked her protruding belly.

"You're right." He hugged her close to him and put his hand on top of hers where he could feel kicking. "Wow, they like to kick." He leaned down and spoke to her stomach. "Come on guys. Don't give Mama a hard time."

When the kicking stopped, Missy looked at him in astonishment. "How did you do that? It's been almost constant for the last few days."

Everett gave her an impish grin. "It's a hidden talent." They walked the rest of the way to their quarters. Once they had entered and closed the door, he motioned her over to the bed. "Okay, you sit." He propped up some pillows behind her. "How's that?"

"It feels good, Ev." She gave him an appraising look. "Now, you do know I won't be able to stay completely off my feet until the babies come, don't you? We're on a spaceship millions of light years from Earth."

"I know, Missy. Just want to make sure I'm taking care of all three of you." He softly stroked her cheek and leaned in for a kiss. "I never thought I'd have any of this. You understand, right?"

"Yeah, I do." She snuggled in the crook of his arm. "Being in your arms is my favorite place to be. I just don't want to stop contributing." Melissa grinned and winked at her fiancé. "I would be terribly bored."

Chuckling, Everett replied, "Yes, I know you would. I did want to ask you a question."

"What's that?"

"Do you remember when David and our daughter appeared to us while we were waiting to fly into the sun?"

"Uhh, yes. That's when we found out about our background." She took his hands in hers. "Why do you ask?"

A hesitant look came over his face. "I was wondering why our son didn't appear too." He touched her cheek gently. "I hope that doesn't mean that something happens to him."

Melissa leaned forward and hugged him. "I had the same thought, Ev. And I hope the same thing." She lay down on the bed. "What are you going to do while I'm napping?"

He pointed to the desk. "I'm going to do some paperwork. I will let you know if I have to go anywhere else."

"Sounds good. I love you, Ev."

"I love you too, Missy."


	5. Chapter 5

See You at the Altar – Chapter 5

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

With that, the preparations for the wedding began with just about everyone on the ship getting involved. Missy continued to work in the Control Room for a few hours each day with Everett and the other members of their core group making sure that she wasn't overexerting herself. She was also approached by the different members of the crew and asked her opinion about the various things being planned. By the time Wednesday rolled around, she was starting to get excited about the weekend's events. While she was working at one of the consoles in the Control Room that morning, she heard a voice over the radio. "Johansen to Mitchell."

Giving the radio a curious glance, Melissa picked it up and toggled it. "Mitchell here. What's up, TJ?"

"Can you come to the main infirmary? I need to ask you something."

"Sure." She told Eli and Brody that she would be back shortly and started walking towards the main infirmary. When she was almost there, she collided with someone who was coming down a cross corridor. "Oh, I'm sorry." Missy then noticed who it was seeing Sergeant Spencer sneering at her. "What do you want?"

The tall muscular man who had harassed Melissa in their first weeks aboard the Destiny said, "Oh, I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to interfere in my business since you've apparently got the whole ship at your beck and call." He gave her a contemptuous stare.

Rolling her eyes at him, Missy replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Sergeant, but I do know you were ordered to stay away from me. So, out of my way." She started to push past him.

Grabbing her shoulders, Spencer replied, "One day, you won't have any of your friends around. You'll really need to be keeping an eye on your six at that point."

"Let go of me." She pulled herself out of his grasp and continued walking down the corridor. Reaching the infirmary a few moments later, she walked in to see TJ and a slim red-haired woman in fatigues. "Hi, TJ. What's going on? Did you know Spencer's about twenty feet away from here?"

The medic looked up in alarm. "He is? What did he say?"

"Oh, he said something about me not interfering in his business since I had the whole ship at my beck and call. Then he grabbed my shoulders and said that there would be a time when no one would be around and that I should watch my six when that happens. Everett is gonna kill him when he finds out. What's going on?"

Grabbing onto TJ's arm, the other woman said with a sad expression on her face, "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me. Let me go and tell him, and I'll tell him I'll get rid of it."

Johansen ordered, "Stay where you are, Sergeant." She motioned to Melissa. "I called Dr. Mitchell for obvious reasons. Thought you'd like to talk with someone who's been where you're at. And you do not have to get rid of it." She softly chuckled. "I'm already in OB mode—one more won't make a lot of difference—and since we found this place, both of you should have easy deliveries." She turned to Melissa. "Melissa, this is Sergeant Lindsay Baker. Sergeant, this is Dr. Melissa Mitchell. Well, it will be Dr. Young after Saturday."

Missy warmly smiled at the younger woman. She stuck her hand out and said, "It's nice to meet you, Sergeant. Did I understand TJ correctly? Are you pregnant too?"

Tears came down Lindsay's face as she shook Missy's hand. "It's good to meet you too, ma'am. I just wish my news was going to end as nicely as yours is. Yes, I am pregnant, but the father wants nothing to do with me or the baby and told me to get rid of it. He said if Lieutenant Johansen didn't do it, he would beat it out of me."

"Excuse me. Not if I have anything to say about it." She motioned to a bed, and they both sat down; Missy taking Lindsay's hands in hers. "First, call me Melissa. I'm not military. Second, do you want to talk about it?"

"Yes." Lindsay began telling her story. "If you haven't already guessed by now, Spencer's the father. We started sleeping together the month before Icarus was attacked. At first, he was really nice, but then he started hitting me and getting his buddies to do it too. He told me not to report it, or he could get me thrown out of the Air Force. I was scared to death, but I decided to talk with Doc Sims a few days before the attack, and he was working on getting me transferred off Icarus. Then the attack happened, and we got stuck here. At first, Spencer stayed away from me, but then decided to start it up again with a couple of the other Marines. I made the mistake of telling him I thought I was pregnant, and he threatened me. Ma'am, I'm Catholic. I don't believe in abortion, but when I tried to tell Spencer, he said he didn't care. I think he thought my being pregnant would harm his standing with his buddies. I'm scared to leave now that you said he's out there."

Her eyes widening in horror, Melissa said, "Lindsay, nothing is gonna happen to you or your baby, I promise." She gazed at the medic. "Right, TJ." When the other woman nodded affirmatively, she continued, "Who else has been hitting you?"

"Lopez and Taylor."

"Alright, we're gonna take care of this right now." She pulled her radio out of her pocket and toggled it, "Mitchell to Young."

Everett's familiar deep voice came over the radio. "Young here. What's up, Missy?"

"I'm okay, but I was wondering if you could come down to the main infirmary and bring the guys with you. Spencer disobeyed your orders as far as I'm concerned, and I just found out he and a couple of his buddies have been abusing one of the female military personnel."

"What! We're on our way. Let me speak to TJ."

Missy handed the walkie to TJ who spoke into it. "It's me, Colonel."

"Do you have a weapon down there?"

"Yes."

"Good, we'll be there in a few."

"Understood, Sir." She shut the walkie off and turned to the other two women. "Ok, they'll be here shortly."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Lindsay. "I was so scared that no one would even care."

TJ replied, "Not the case, Sergeant. A lot of people care, and those guys won't be able to bother you anymore after they're locked up."

"That's right," said Missy. She hugged the shaking young woman. "It's gonna be okay. May I call you Lindsay?"

"Yes. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How did you feel when you found out you were pregnant?"

"Well, I actually found out I was pregnant the day of the attack, and when we got stranded here, I was scared to death."

"I'm scared too. I can't imagine raising a child here." She motioned to TJ. "But Lieutenant Johansen showed me a picture, and I just know I have to try. She said I was about ten weeks."

Missy clasped Lindsay's hands. "I'm twenty-two weeks, and we just found out the other day it's going to be twins. I know this isn't the best news for you, but I'm kind of glad I have someone to share it with."

"Me too."

At that moment, the door burst open, and Spencer and another man came in with their guns raised. TJ, who had just taken her gun out of the drawer, raised it up and got in front of the other two women. "What the hell do you want, Spencer?"

The Marine sergeant sneered as he replied, "I want you to tell me if Baker's pregnant, and then I want you to let her come with us. If you do that, I won't hurt you or the good doctor here." He motioned to Melissa.

TJ cocked her pistol and told him, "No chance whatsoever that I'll do that. Both of you are frickin idiots. Oh, and I should tell you. There are more people coming."

The other man, whose name was Lopez, looked at Spencer nervously and said, "I bet she called the colonel. I don't want to be confined indefinitely."

Spencer said, "You're a chicken, Lopez. No one will come in here as long as we've got three hostages including the colonel's whore." He shook his head spitefully as he spoke to Missy who was clinging to Lindsay. "It must be nice to have everyone at your beck and call."

Missy faced him squarely. "Does it make you feel like more of a man to beat up pregnant women or women in general? It must since you've been doing it since we were all on Icarus. And for your info, no one was ordered to participate this week. They're doing it because they want to."

His face reddening, the Marine sergeant said, "I just don't want anyone interfering in my business."

"You made it everyone else's business when you threatened to beat her baby out of her. Now, I would suggest you leave because I know for a fact that the Colonel doesn't tolerate anyone being abused on this ship."

"I'll leave when I want to, and I think I'll take you with us. That way, both of us can have fun."

The men moved a few steps closer to the women, but stopped when a voice came from the door. It was Everett who was aiming his gun at the other two. "You're not going anywhere, Spencer, and you aren't taking anyone with you either." He addressed Greer who was standing next to him. "Who's the other one?"

Greer, who also had a pistol cocked, gazed at both of the men with contempt as he answered him. "That's Lopez. Becker says he hasn't been showing up for his scheduled KP shifts."

"Well, I think we can make sure that happens now. Along with any other distasteful duty you can think up." He addressed the two men once more. "Dr. Mitchell is right. I don't tolerate anyone being abused on this ship. And if you don't want me to throw you off this ship right now, I suggest you drop the guns."

Spencer and Lopez looked at each other for a long moment and then looked at the five men at the door and at TJ who still had her gun aimed. Lopez said, "It's not worth it man." He dropped his gun, and Peterson came forward to cuff him.

The Colonel then stared at Spencer. "What about you? I don't have any problem putting a bullet in you especially since I just heard you like beating up pregnant women." He cocked his pistol.

Throwing down the gun with disgust, Spencer said, "Fine, but you won't be able to keep me locked up forever."

"Watch me," said Ev who took out a set of cuffs and put them on the Marine sergeant. He instructed Peterson and Reynolds. "For the moment, lock them up in their quarters. We'll decide on a more permanent arrangement after I hear what happened."

Melissa and Lindsay walked forward from where they had been standing next to the bed. "You might want to pick up Taylor too."

"Oh?" His eyebrows rose, but when he saw his fiancée briskly nod, he turned to the other men. "You heard her. Mac, why don't you go with them, and when you have all three of them locked up, let me know."

"Yes, Sir," responded Mac. He motioned to Peterson and Reynolds, and they escorted the other men out of the room.

Once they were gone, Everett gazed around at who was left giving Missy a hug and asking her, "Are you okay?" When she nodded in the affirmative, he asked them all, "Okay, what happened?"

Melissa touched Lindsay's shoulder and gave her an encouraging look. Baker then faced the Colonel and said, "Sir, I made the mistake of getting involved with Spencer back on Icarus. It didn't take long for him to start hitting me and treating me like dirt. When we were stranded here, he left me alone for a few days, but then he started it again with Lopez and Taylor. I told him I thought I was pregnant last night, and he told me to come here today to find out for sure and to tell Lieutenant Johansen I didn't want it. He said if I didn't, he would beat it out of me. Sir, I'm Catholic. I don't believe in abortion. He doesn't have to have anything to do with it, but I want to keep it."

Everett looked at the young sergeant sympathetically as he touched her shoulder in support. "Of course, you can keep it, Sergeant. Besides…" He grinned and winked at her. "I was hoping my children would have a playmate."

"Thank you, Sir."

He then turned to Melissa and asked, "Ok, what happened with you?"

Missy began to speak. "TJ called me on the radio and asked me to come down here. I bumped into Spencer about twenty feet from the door. He said he wanted to make sure I wasn't interfering in his business since I supposedly have the whole ship at my beck and call. I said I didn't know what he was talking about and tried to push past him. He grabbed my shoulders and said that one day my friends wouldn't be around and that I should really watch my six at that point. Then he let me go by. I came in here, and TJ and Lindsay told me what was going on. A few minutes later, Spencer and Lopez burst in with their guns, and you know what happened after that." She noticed the furious look on Ev's face. "Now Everett, don't go off half-cocked. I did tell them though that you probably would." She grinned and winked at him.

The look on his face relaxed as he reached for one of her hands and squeezed it. "I'm not gonna go off half-cocked, Missy, although I'm sorely tempted, for one reason in particular." He gazed at the others. "I think we're about to have a ship wide issue with this as there are seventy-six adults here with not a whole lot to do."

TJ nodded affirmatively. "And there's no birth control, well, except for the rhythm method, and the effectiveness of that is spotty at best. In my opinion, Sir, you need to make it clear that Spencer's conduct is unacceptable. And everyone needs to have some kind of duty. Didn't Ms. Wilson say something about having some morale boosters in mind for after the wedding too?"

"She did. When you girls go over there, can you ask her if she might be willing to take charge of that?"

"I can do that."

Gazing at him curiously, Melissa said, "Go over there?"

Her fiancé impishly grinned at her. "Yes, right before you called me, she called up to the Control Room. The dresses are done. She thought you might want to go ahead and do the fittings. Chloe should already be over there."

"Cool!" She gazed over at Lindsay who looked lost and alone. "Would you like to come with us, Lindsay? I can introduce you to some of the other women on the ship."

Baker hesitated for a moment and then, noticing the encouraging looks that Missy and TJ were giving her, said, "I'd like that ma'am, sorry, Melissa. I've been afraid to leave my quarters because I thought people would ask me about the bruises." She lifted up her hair and showed them the bruises on the back of her neck and shoulders.

"Good." She glanced at Everett. "Catch up with you later, sweetheart?"

"Yep." He hugged and kissed her saying, "I'm gonna take care of these guys now. We're meeting with Scott about the vows at 13:00, right?"

"That's right, we are. I'll see you then."


	6. Chapter 6

See You at the Altar – Chapter 6

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

The five of them left the infirmary and went in different directions—Everett and Greer back to the Control Room and Missy, TJ, and Lindsay over to the room where the closet of Ancient clothing had been found just a week or so before. When they arrived, they found Linda, Alaina, and Chloe waiting for them. Melissa greeted the others. "Hi, Linda. Hi, Alaina. Hi, Chloe. I was told the dresses were ready."

"Yes, they are," said Linda. She gazed over at Lindsay. "Hello, I don't think we're met."

"I'm sorry," said Missy who made the introductions. "This is Sergeant Lindsay Baker. Lindsay, this is Linda Wilson, Alaina Miller, and Chloe Armstrong."

Linda smiled warmly at Lindsay. "It's nice to meet you. Did you come to see the grand unveiling?"

"I did," said Lindsay, immediately comfortable with Linda's friendly manner. "I hope that's okay."

"Yes, it is." She started giving the other girls instructions. "Okay, we're going to do this one at a time so Alaina and I can make any adjustments. Melissa, how about you come back first?"

"Sure," said Missy.

She walked over to the closet with the other two women stripping down to her underclothing once she got there. As they were helping her into the dress, Linda quietly asked Missy, "Is Lindsay okay?"

Just as quietly, Melissa replied, "She just found out she was pregnant earlier, and the father wants her to abort it. Said he would beat it out of her if she didn't. He and one of his buddies have been hitting her too. They tried attacking us in the infirmary. Everett and the others took care of them real quick. I thought you could work some of your 'mama magic' on her. She's scared to death. But you should probably wait for her to tell you about the baby."

"I'll do it. Not a problem at all." She finished easing the dress over Melissa's head, and she and Alaina arranged it around her body. After she tied the piece of cloth she was holding around the other woman's extended stomach, she motioned for Missy to go over to the mirror. "Melissa, you look gorgeous."

Missy looked at her image in awe. "Wow, oh wow. This is so pretty." She walked out to where the other girls were. "What do you girls think?"

Everyone was dumbstruck for a moment. Then Chloe said, "That is perfect, Melissa." She turned to TJ. "I want in on the pool."

TJ took a small notepad out of her pocket and said, "You've got it."

Looking at both of them curiously, Missy asked, "Pool?"

The medic chuckled. "Yep, there's a pool going about how long it's gonna take between when the Colonel sees you and you getting to the end of the aisle for Mac to remind him to breathe. I'm down for five seconds, but I think it will be shorter now. What do you want yours to be, Chloe?"

Chloe thought for a moment and then said, "I want mine to be two seconds."

"Alright, anyone else want in?"

Lindsay raised her hand hesitantly. "Does anyone have one?"

Gazing at her pad, TJ replied, "Nope. Would you like that one?"

"Yes." She smiled at her new friend. "I think you look really pretty, Melissa, and I think the Colonel will think so too."

Smiling back at her in thanks, Melissa said, "Thank you, Lindsay." Then she turned to Linda. "Are you gonna need to do anything to this one?"

The older woman glanced over at Alaina. "I don't think so. What do you think?"

Alaina replied, "I think you're right."

"Okay, Melissa, go ahead and step out of the dress, and we'll hang it up until Saturday." She went back to do so as Linda addressed Chloe and TJ. "Chloe, we'll do you next, and then we'll do you, TJ." They tried their dresses on, and the other women said they looked just as beautiful as Missy did. After TJ had hung her dress back up, Linda gathered everyone around her and said, "That went remarkably well. Alaina and I won't need to do anything else with them. We can start getting ready after breakfast Saturday morning."

"That sounds good," said Melissa.

Turning to Lindsay, Linda continued, "Would you like to come and help? Getting everyone ready will take a bit."

"Yes, I would," said Lindsay. "Thank you so much for including me."

"You're welcome."

Missy spoke up. "You're invited to the bachelorette party on Friday night too if you want to come." After the other woman eagerly nodded in response, she gazed at her watch. "I need to go meet with Lieutenant Scott and Everett about the vows. Will you be okay, Lindsay?"

Before she could answer, Linda placed an arm on Lindsay's shoulder and said, "Lindsay; Chloe, Alaina, and I were going to check on the people making decorations. You're welcome to come with us if you don't need to do anything else right now."

A big smile appeared on the young sergeant's face. "I would really love that. Thank you."

As the women prepared to leave the room, TJ turned back to Linda and said, "Oh, I almost forgot. The Colonel asked if you would be willing to take charge of the morale boosters after the wedding."

"I can do that," said Linda. "I've got some ideas that should work really well. I'll talk to him once the wedding's done."

TJ nodded in thanks, and the women left the room going in different directions. A few moments later, Melissa arrived at hers and Ev's quarters to find Everett and Lieutenant Scott waiting for her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be late."

Smiling at her warmly, Ev replied, "That's okay, baby. We just got here five minutes ago."

"That's right," said Scott. "We were just talking about ship stuff."

"Oh, okay," said Missy. She sat on the couch next to Everett who put his arm around her. Looking over at Scott, she said, "Alright, how do we want to do this?"

"Well, I need to know how you want the ceremony to go, whether you want to use the traditional vows, or whether you want to personalize them."

She glanced at her fiancé. "What do you think?"

Ev replied, "The traditional ones are fine. I'm going into this one for keeps."

"I am too." She softly stroked his face. "If I had listened to my heart the last time, everything would have been different."

"I agree."

Melissa turned back to Scott. "What about doing it this way? We can do the processional first, then you can welcome everyone, we can say the vows, and you pronounce us married."

"That sounds good. I know you have a ring the Colonel gave you. Do you have a ring for him?"

A sad expression came over her face. "No, I don't. Maybe we can rig up something."

Everett snapped his fingers. "We do have something. I had this in my shirt pocket when we evacuated." He went to the small nightstand and pulled something out of the drawer handing it to Melissa.

She fingered the small box and asked, "What's this?" Opening it, she said, "Oh my goodness. It's a set of wedding rings. Did these belong to your parents?"

"Yes, it came in the same packet that the ring I gave you was in. I wanted to make sure I had it when we evacuated. If we had gotten back to Earth, I was going to resign my commission so we could be together."

Looks of astonishment came over Missy and Scott's faces, and Missy said, "Resign your commission? Why?"

Taking her hands in his, Ev said, "I've been in for twenty years, and we've almost died numerous times since being at the SGC. And, you know how they feel about people on the same team being together. I just wanted to make sure we would have our shot. I've loved you for a long time, Missy."

"I love you too, Everett." She leaned forward and kissed him.

Then Scott cleared his throat. "It sounds like the two of you have an incredible love story. When the priest who adopted me was marrying couples, he would always ask them about their stories." He saw Missy and Ev look at each other. "But you don't have to share if you don't want to."

Shrugging her shoulders, Melissa said, "There's a lot of it I'm not proud of especially with my first marriage."

"Me either," said Everett. "If I had had enough courage four years ago, I would have resigned my commission then and divorced my first wife and married Missy." He gazed at his fiancée. "Do you want to tell him?"

"Okay. As long as it can stay between the three of us." She grinned and winked at Scott. "I guess this would be the premarital counseling part."

The lieutenant grinned back at her. "Yep."

Ev started speaking. "We actually met seven years ago when we first started at the SGC. I was recruited to come and lead one of the science teams. When I first met with General Hammond, he said I would have leeway to pick the military members of my team, but that the lead scientist had already been selected." He smiled at Missy fondly. "I was not pleased to put it lightly. I told him and General O'Neill, who was a Colonel at the time that this person would have to ace all the military readiness tests. Missy came in and took her test—did better than the military members I had chosen. They had told me her name was Melissa Jones, but when she passed, all of the members of SG-1 came in and gave her hugs of congratulations as did General Hammond. I knew then that something was up."

Missy softly chuckled. "Yes. I don't think we've told you this. I was adopted when I was thirteen by an Air Force family in Mountain Home, Idaho when I was found wandering around the base with amnesia."

Scott nodded affirmatively. "I remember that part."

"Well, what I didn't say was who they were. They were George and Kathryn Hammond."

His eyes widened in astonishment. "You're General Hammond's adopted daughter? Wow! I'll bet you are a treasure trove of SGC history."

"You could say that."

Everett put his arm around her and continued the story. "Now you understand how I felt. They told me that, and I was so mad. He said my reactions had to be honest because of who she was. She had the qualifications to be at the SGC, but they wanted to make sure everything was aboveboard because of who she was. Anyway, I didn't stay mad long. She looked up at me with those blue eyes and apologized. Said she was looking forward to working with me. So, that's when it started. I had been married for a year, but my first wife was gone a lot on business. Our team gelled quickly, and we started going out on missions. Now, let me fast forward to four years later."

Placing her hand on top of his, Missy said, "I'll do this part. We were on a mission and got ambushed by B'aal's forces. Our other team members got away, and Ev would have gotten away too if I hadn't of been struck by a staff blast weapon. He came back for me and we were both caught. That started six weeks of hell. Being together was the only thing that made it bearable. He told me he loved me first. I was scared to say it back because he was married, but I finally did. We drew off each other's strength. I think it drove B'aal nuts."

"I know it did. Anyway, we got rescued and were taken back to the SGC. Everyone figured out things were different pretty quick, and General O'Neill and her father were not happy. We argued about it for weeks. Finally, two things happened that changed everything. First, O'Neill said he'd kick both of us out of the SGC if we stayed together, and she regained her memory of what happened to her biological parents in Idaho. We were all surprised to figure out that my first wife was her biological sister."

Melissa clasped his hand. "Yeah, I didn't want to hurt her even though we didn't get along when we were kids. So I told him we could only be friends though it tore me apart to do it. It took a while, but we worked it out. We healed and started going back out on missions. Six months later, I met Cameron. He swept me off my feet, and we were married four months after that. By that time, my dad had retired, and General O'Neill had become the secretary of Homeworld Security so it wasn't that big of a deal, and Cameron and I weren't on the same team. He even asked Everett to be in the wedding party."

"Yeah, I think that's what I feel the worst about. My wife and I had a difficult marriage, but Cameron did right by Missy, treated her well, and I think she was happy. He even told me he trusted me to take care of her when we were on missions. Anyway, we all continued to go on missions through the whole Ori thing. Our team even got to go to the Ori galaxy with the Odyssey, and once again, we got to spend some time in a prison. Now, let me fast forward once more to right before we shipped to Icarus. Anna, my first wife, had been unhappy with me for several months. She hated being out of the loop with the big secret that both Missy and I knew, and she wanted to know it. The night before we left, she said if I didn't tell her, she didn't want to be married to me anymore. I told her if she felt like that, to go ahead and file for divorce. Well, we were all at Cam and Missy's house, and pretty soon, everyone had left except for me and Missy. SG-1 had been called into the mountain for an emergency mission."

"After they were gone, we started drinking and talking and reminiscing. We danced to a song that was playing, and I had this moment of clarity after he kissed me when he said he had always loved me. I realized I had always loved him too." She gave Scott a sheepish look. "You can probably figure out what happened next so that is the end of the story. I hope that hasn't made you lose respect for either of us."

Scott nodded at her understandingly. "It hasn't. It just means you're human. And I've watched you since you've been here. The two of you are meant to be together. It will be my privilege to marry you. And everything you've told me stays with me."

Holding out his hand which Scott shook, Everett said, "Thank you, Lieutenant."

Melissa held out her hand as well. "Yes, thank you."

"I do have one more question," said Matthew. "Does anyone else on board know who Melissa is?"

"As far as I know, only Dr. Rush does, and the only reason he does is because Senator Armstrong recognized me when I was introduced to him. He had seen a picture of me in Dad's office in Homeworld Security. I think General O'Neill scrubbed that part of my file when I took Cameron's name."

"Gotcha." He got up to leave. "We're gonna do a rehearsal on Friday night, right?"

"Yes, at 1800. Afterwards, there's going to be bachelor and bachelorette parties. I think Mac, Greer, TJ and Chloe are handling the planning for those."

"Excellent." He nodded at the Colonel saying, "I'll talk with you later, Sir," and left the room.

Once he was gone, Everett turned to Melissa and gave her a hug. "Are you okay? That wasn't too gut wrenching, was it?"

His fiancée replied, "No, just helped me to know I'm doing the right thing." She put her hand on her belly and gave him a pleading look. "They've been kicking up a storm this morning. Can you do your magic before I lay down for my nap?"

Ev warmly smiled at her. "Sure, Missy. He leaned over and talked to her stomach. "Come on guys. Mama needs to rest so you two can grow some more. That means you need to cut it out." He looked back up at Melissa. "How's that?"

She put her hand back on her belly, and when she didn't feel any movement, she gave a sigh of relief. "Wonderful. Thank you. What are you going to be doing while I'm resting?"

"Checking in with the Control Room and talking with Greer, Scott, Mac, and Camille about what we're going to do with our latest criminals."

"Oh, nice. I can't believe they were hitting Lindsay, and no one else knew it. Will you let me know what's decided?"

"Yes, you and Sergeant Baker. You know, you were right earlier. I'm not gonna let anyone on this ship be abused."

"I know." She leaned over and kissed him. "You wouldn't be the man I loved if you did." She lay down on the bed. "I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you too."


	7. Chapter 7

See You at the Altar – Chapter 7

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Everett headed out to take care of the work he needed to do while Missy was taking her nap. When she got up later that afternoon, she went to the Control Room to do some more work which is where her fiancée found her when it was time for the evening rations to be served. They went to the Mess where they found several of their friends and sat down with them having a pleasant conversation about the plans for the weekend. After they were finished, they went back to their quarters where they settled down for the night and got ready for bed. The next morning they woke up, and after going to eat their morning ration, went in different directions—Melissa to the Control Room to work and Everett to meet with Lieutenant Scott about assigning teams to explore the ship. When she arrived at the Control Room, she saw a chair sitting at the console she usually used. She looked at the other four people in the room and said, "Okay, what's this?"

Gazing at her sheepishly, Eli shrugged his shoulders as he said, "It's just something I rigged up so you would be more comfortable."

Missy smiled warmly at their resident young genius. "That's sweet, Eli. But you didn't have to."

Lisa Park, who was standing next to him, said, "We all helped. Since we knew it was unlikely that you would stay off your feet completely until the babies come."

"She's right," said Dr. Rush who was standing at the third console with Brody. "Lass, I don't think you understand how much hope your wee ones have given to everyone. We've come together as a crew, and you're one of the main reasons why so anything we…" He motioned to the other three. "Can do to make it easier for you to be a part of things, we'll do."

A few tears came down Melissa's face. "Nicholas, you are making me cry. Stop it." She winked at him as she addressed the other three. "Thank you all. I appreciate it." She sat down in the chair. "Wow, this is comfortable."

"The back support was my idea," said Adam Brody. "I remembered my sister saying that her back hurt a lot when she was pregnant with my nephew."

Nicholas said, "Gloria was the same way when she was pregnant with our daughter."

"Well, it is much appreciated." Missy looked at the console. "What's going on this morning?

"Not a lot. We're still in FTL." At that moment, a brief shimmer enveloped everyone's bodies. When it disappeared, Rush gazed at his console. "Well, we're not in FTL anymore, and this is in response to the search I asked Destiny to do a few days ago." He picked up his radio and toggled it. "Colonel Young, to the Gateroom please."

Everett's voice was heard over the radio. "On my way." The other five watched as the gate began to dial. By the time it had finished dialing, the Colonel, Lieutenant Scott, Lieutenant McDonald, and Sergeant Greer had walked in to see the others busily working at the consoles. His eyes lighting up at the sight of his fiancée, Ev smiled and nodded in greeting at her before asking Rush, "What have we got?"

"Do you remember that search I initiated a few days ago—for more food and water?"

"Yes, I do." An excited look came over Ev's face. "Do you mean Destiny's stopped where we can restock our stores?"

"That's what it looks like." Rush gazed at Eli who was already manipulating some buttons on a console. "Can you send a kino, please?"

"Already on it," said Eli. He typed in the final instructions, and the kino he had been holding flew out of his hand and towards the event horizon. A moment later, data started coming through. "We've got pictures."

Lisa, who was standing at the console next to Missy, said, "Breathable atmosphere, comparable amounts of oxygen and nitrogen, it's very earth-like." She noticed the pictures. "Oh, look at the trees and flowers."

Her eyes widening with excitement, Missy said, "Wow, oh wow! Those look like fruit trees." She pointed to a place on the screen. "Those are fruit trees." She looked over at Everett. "You do know I'm gonna have to go, don't you?"

Raising his eyebrows, Everett replied, "Excuse me."

She rolled her eyes and gave him an exasperated glance. "Aren't I the resident botanist of the crew? The one that's the most qualified to tell you if they're safe. These trees look like they're full of fruit, and they're just the ones near the gate. Can you imagine what we could find a couple of miles away? And if there's fruit, there's a source of water, and probably vegetables too. Maybe even meat." She placed her hand on her belly as she grinned and winked at him. "The babies are kicking in anticipation." Noticing his still hesitant look, Melissa then placed her hands on her hips. "Everett Young, we have had this conversation already."

Her fiancé breathed in and out a couple of times before the look on his face relaxed. "You're right, Missy. You can go. But I'm going with you." He gazed at Dr. Rush. "What's our countdown clock?"

After looking at the opposite wall, Rush replied, "Twelve hours. We'll probably have time to rotate a couple of teams on and off. The fresh air will be good for everyone." He motioned to Missy. "Especially the lass and your wee ones."

Everyone laughed, and a moment later, Ev joined them. He then said, "Ok, for the first team, it will be me, Missy, Lieutenant McDonald, Sergeant Greer, Mr. Brody, Dr. Park, Eli, and…" He looked over at Lieutenant Scott. "Can you call Sergeant Baker and get her up here please?" At Scott's acknowledging nod, he continued, "I want you to be in charge while we're gone. Coordinate with Dr. Rush on a schedule of who gets to go to the planet."

"Yes, Sir."

"Alright, let's gear up."

Everyone went to the supply room where they were joined a few minutes later by Sergeant Baker. She ducked her head in and said to the Colonel, "I was asked to come here, Sir. What's going on?"

Melissa greeted her friend. "You get to be on the first team that goes to this planet, Lindsay. There's a possibility of us finding a bunch of food and water. And the air is perfectly earth-like."

"That's right," said Everett. He grinned at the Sergeant as he leaned over and said in a quiet voice. "I was also told that fresh air was good for pregnant mamas."

A smile of gratitude came over Lindsay's face. "Thank you, Sir."

"You're welcome. I do have to tell you though there is one thing that is not an option for either you or Missy." He picked up two flak vests. "You both need to wear these."

Rolling her eyes, Missy took the vests from him and said, "Yes, Dad." She grinned and winked at him and went to help Lindsay gear up.

A few moments later, the team that was going to the planet was back in the Gateroom. Everett said, "All right, you all know what we're hoping to find. Let's head out." The group started walking through the gate. Ev took Missy's arm. "Baby, I know you've already been through the gate once since you've been pregnant, but just humor me."

Missy gently smiled at him. "That's fine, Ev. I'm actually a little nervous about doing it this time since I know it's two of them instead of just one and since they've been so active."

Nodding understandingly as they stood in front of the gate, he said, "Okay, one, two, three." They stepped through the gate, and a few moments later came out the other side on the planet. The others had already begun scanning the surrounding area as he turned to her. "You okay, Missy?"

Melissa smiled at him. "Yes." She walked over to a tree that was full of a fruit that looked like a cross between an apple and a pear. Sergeant Greer was already standing there looking at it longingly. "Now, Sergeant, you weren't thinking of eating any before I ran a scan, were you?"

Looking over at her, Greer grinned and said, "Naah, but can you get on with it? I'm hungry."

"Sure." She pushed a couple of buttons on her scanner and ran it across the tree. "This is perfect for humans. No carcinogens, nothing harmful at all. It looks like a cross between an apple and a pear. You're fine."

"Great!" He pulled a piece of fruit off the tree and began eating it.

While he was doing that, Missy turned to gaze at the fruit trees which extended as far in the distance as she could see. All of them were full of either fruit or vegetables. At the very limit of her vision, she could see light reflecting off of something. "Anyone have some binoculars?"

"I do," said Mac. He handed them to her, and she focused them towards what she had seen. "What do you see, Melissa?"

Everett gave her a bemused stare. "Yes, what do you see, Missy?"

Handing him the binoculars, his fiancée grinned and said, "Here, look for yourself."

He looked through them and then turned back to her, his eyes wide with astonishment. "That's a lake. I wonder if the water's fresh."

"It very well might be."

"All right." He noticed their group had gathered around him. "We are going to need a lot more people and as many containers as we can find. I intend for the ship to be completely stocked by the time we've finished." The Colonel turned to Greer. "Sergeant, I want you to call back to the ship, go ahead and get Scott to send another team, and tell Rush to send Eli's anti-gravity sled."

Eli piped up. "That will be perfect, Colonel."

Greer hurried to follow his instructions, and before long, the group on the planet had increased to thirty people. They split up into teams some going down to the lake, some walking among the trees, and some going to a plateau area where it looked like there might be animals. Melissa continued to scan the fruit on the trees, and as she received confirmation that it was okay to eat, she signaled the teams that they could begin picking fruit off it. After she had scanned about twenty trees, Ev said, "I think we've about covered this area. Do you want to walk to the lake while the teams are picking the fruit? I want to check on how the water collection is going?"

Missy grinned at him. "Sure. It will be nice to have fresh water." They started walking down the path in the direction of the lake holding hands. As they walked, she motioned to the landscape around them. "This is nice, and I really like the fresh air."

"Good. There's something else I really like." He noticed her gazing at him inquisitively as he continued, "This is the first time we've walked together in the fresh air holding hands, and…." He held up their hands. "We don't have to worry about someone else seeing us."

"You're right." She leaned over and kissed him. "Love you."

He hugged her close to him. "Love you too." They put their arms around each other's waists and continued their walk. When they got to the lake, they saw Mac supervising the team that was getting the water. "How's it going, Mac?"

Mac came up from the edge of the water. "Going great, Sir. We're working on filling our third 1000 gallon tank. We should be able to completely restock our supply before we jump back into FTL."

"Fantastic. Keep at it."

"Yes, Sir."

As they turned around to head back, they heard excited voices coming towards them. It was Greer, Eli, and Lieutenant Peterson. Greer said, "Look what we got, Sir." Each man was holding three or four dead animals that looked like a cross between a goose and a chicken. "Fresh meat!"

A look of anticipation came over Ev's face. "Great job, Sergeant! Are there more?"

"Oh, yes, lots more."

"Wonderful. Get another team over there to hunt for more, and then I want you to take those back to the ship and give them to Becker." He licked his lips. "I am anticipating a wonderful rehearsal dinner tomorrow night." Missy and the other men chuckled as he continued giving instructions. "After you do that, I want you to assume command so Scott has a chance to go planet side. It's so nice here; everyone should have a chance to get some fresh air."

"Understood, Sir."

Eli spoke up. "Would you like me to go back too so Dr. Rush can come? I don't know if he will or not, but I thought if someone was there that could handle ship's systems, he might."

"You can try, Eli," said the Colonel. "But I think you're probably right."

Melissa touched Everett's arm. When he turned to her, she said, "You're not trying hard enough." Then she addressed Eli. "Tell him I said that if fresh air is good for pregnant mamas, it's also good for workaholics. And since I'm the bride-to-be and he's walking me down the aisle in two days, he has to listen to what I say." She grinned and winked at him. "You can tell him that's a quote so he won't yell at you."

"I'll do it," said Eli. "You know, Dr. Mitchell, he really respects you. I think your influence has kept him from being as difficult as he could have been."

"Thank you."

The three men hurried off with the animals as Ev turned to Missy. "I do have to say, baby, I think Eli is right. I know I would have given up the first week if you hadn't of been here."

His fiancée softly stroked his cheek. "I think all of you are giving me too much credit. Nicholas said earlier I was the main reason the crew had come together, and that was the main reason, he, Adam, Lisa, and Eli rigged up the chair in the Control Room." She looked at him excitedly. "Did you see it? I'll be able to sit and work at a console and not have to be on my feet." Her eyes narrowed. "You didn't have anything to do with it, did you?"

"No, remember, I promised you. When we first came on the ship and you told me you were pregnant, you also asked me not to order anyone to do anything for you, and I haven't. They've done it because they've wanted to. Honey, you really have brought people together. I know for a fact that most of the military respects you because you don't try to get out of the hard work and because you respect what they do. Also, you always have a kind word for everyone—military and civilian alike. And finally, you take care of everyone else before you take care of yourself." He took her in his arms and kissed her. "I cannot wait until Saturday when you become my wife."

A few tears came down Missy's face, and she swiped at them with her hand. "That was very sweet, Everett. Thank you. But now, you have to stop it." She grinned and winked at him. "That's twice someone's made me cry today."

Chuckling, Ev replied, "All right." They started walking back towards the gate hand in hand. "What's this about a chair?"

"Yeah, they fixed it so I wouldn't have to be on my feet, and I could still work on translating. I'll show it to you when we get back."

"Okay."

They arrived at the gate as the chevrons started to light up. When it kawooshed, the next team of people came through which included Scott, Chloe, and Dr. Rush. The three of them walked up to Ev and Missy, and Chloe said, "It's beautiful here. Is it true that all of this fruit is safe?"

"It is," said Missy. "You can go pick some and eat it if you like."

"Cool." She walked off to one of the trees.

Scott told the Colonel. "Greer's assumed command, Sir. We have six more hours on the clock."

"Understood," said Everett. "Go over to that plateau and check on the team that's looking for meat and then you can work on the fruit collection."

"Yes, Sir." He headed in the direction that the Colonel had pointed out.

Rush then greeted them. "It is quite beautiful. It looks like we have managed to collect a lot." He grinned at Melissa. "And you are quite persuasive, lass."

Missy grinned back at him. "I can be quite persuasive when I want to be. Ask Everett." She motioned to the trees. "Come on. Let's keep working. I want us to have lots of this fruit in storage by the time we're done."


	8. Chapter 8

See You at the Altar – Chapter 8

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

They spent the rest of the afternoon replenishing their stores. By the time Ev and Missy walked back through the gate thirty minutes before the ship was due to go back into FTL, there was an air of excitement among the members of the crew. Walking over to the Mess, they went to the food storage area where Airman Becker and his team were putting away what had been collected. Becker noticed that the Colonel had come in and walked over to them. "Sir, this is fantastic. We should have plenty of food for a while especially for tomorrow night."

"That's great," said the Colonel. "Do I need to send some people from the wedding planning committee to help you? I want everyone to have a chance to celebrate."

"Anyone that would like to help would be welcome."

"All right."

He sent Melissa to speak with Linda while he went back to the Gateroom to make sure everyone had come back from the planet okay. Once the ship had gone back into FTL, Ev met Missy at the Mess so they could have their rations. They then went back to their quarters and got ready for bed excited for the events of the next few days. The following day passed rapidly as food was prepared, and the Gateroom was decorated. By the time the wedding party met to rehearse, everyone was eager for the dinner that was going to happen afterwards. Lieutenant Scott addressed the group once everyone was there. "Ok, I'm hoping we'll only need one run-through of this because the rest of the crew might riot if it takes too long for us to get to the Mess."

"It shouldn't," said Linda Wilson who was standing off to one side. "I've had experience helping with a few of these, and if everyone's paying attention, it should go pretty quickly."

Scott warmly smiled at her and said, "Ok then, how does this work?"

Starting to give directions, Linda replied, "You, Sergeant Greer, Lieutenant McDonald, and the Colonel need to be at the front." She pointed at an archway that had been placed at the front of a group of chairs. "And, I need Melissa, TJ, Chloe, and Dr. Rush at the doorway." The people she indicated went to the entrance. She then looked over at Sergeant Harper and Eli. "Do you two have the music for the ceremony ready to play?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Mike and Eli in chorus. They were standing next to one of the consoles which had an IPOD plugged into it.

"Excellent." When she saw that everyone was in the proper places, she went to the girls and handed them bouquets of paper flowers. "That's just for tonight. The real flowers that were collected off the planet yesterday will be ready for us to use tomorrow. When we start the music, Chloe will go first, then TJ, and finally Melissa and Dr. Rush."

She indicated to Mike and Eli that they could start the music which they did, and Chloe began walking down the aisle. Once she was at the end, TJ started her walk. After the medic was standing next to Chloe, she signaled to the last two that they could come down the aisle. Rush turned to Melissa, offered his arm, and said, "Shall we?"

Taking his arm, Missy smiled and said, "Yes, let's get this show on the road." They walked to the end of the aisle, and were standing next to Everett a few moments later. "Okay, what's next?"

Lieutenant Scott replied, "I'll welcome everyone to the ceremony and then ask, 'Who gives this woman to be married?' Dr. Rush, you'll reply, 'I do, and then place Melissa's hand in the Colonel's. After that, you'll sit." He went to sit down. Scott continued, speaking to Everett and Melissa, "I'll tell the two of you to hold each other's hands and say your vows."

Taking Missy's hands, Ev smiled at her and asked, "Which one of us goes first?"

"You, Sir, and then Melissa. After you finish, you'll exchange rings, and I'll pronounce you married."

"That sounds good. Should we do a run-through?"

"Sure, if you want to."

"I do. This will be my favorite part of tomorrow." He looked at Missy who was broadly smiling at him. "I, Everett, take you Melissa, to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward in sickness and in health, til death do us part."

After he was done, she began speaking, "I, Melissa, take you Everett, to be my lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward in sickness and in health til death do us part."

When she finished, they both turned to Mac and TJ and pretended to take rings from them. They pantomimed putting them on each other after which Scott said, "I'll pronounce you man and wife here."

Everett impishly grinned at Missy. "And once he's done that, I get to do this." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately taking the next several seconds to explore every inch of her mouth. They came up for breath after hearing whistles and catcalls from the rest of the group. He noticed the dazed look on her face as she touched her mouth and softly smiled at him. "It will be even better tomorrow." He grinned and winked at her.

She waggled her eyebrows. "I don't know, Everett. That was pretty good. Topping it will be a challenge."

The rest of the group chuckled at their antics, and Linda said, "I think you'll like what we're giving you, Melissa, for a shower gift." She noticed the curious look on Ev's face. "And no, Colonel, you don't get to find out until tomorrow night."

"Nuts!" exclaimed Ev. Then he gazed at Scott. "Is that it?"

The young lieutenant who was grinning as well replied, "Yes, Sir. I will invite everyone to come and congratulate you, and we will go straight into the reception with Sergeant Harper and Eli emceeing."

Mike walked up to them. "After the chairs are cleared away, I'll invite the two of you to have your first dance as man and wife. Then everyone will have a chance to dance. And we'll do your dedications in the middle of that."

Everett replied, "Excellent. Alright, I guess we can go to dinner then."

The group left the Gateroom and headed for the Mess where several members of the crew were already waiting. When they saw the members of the wedding party, a round of applause was started. The Colonel held up his hands, and it stopped. He said, "We have a lot to celebrate tonight including that we have enough food and water on the ship to last us for a while. Everyone eat; enjoy yourselves, and thank you for all the support."

There was another round of applause after which people got in line to get plates of food. For the next hour, everyone had a good time eating, talking, and laughing. While they were eating, Missy told Ev, "I told you the babies would like the food. They've quit kicking." She placed his hand on her baby bump."

"So, they have." He grinned at her and leaned down to her stomach. "Is it nice to have full tummies, munchkins? It makes what I did worth it."

Melissa's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?" Then she thought of all the times since they had been on the ship when Ev hadn't finished his ration and had given it to her because she had been so hungry. "You've been giving up your rations for me since we've been here. You shouldn't have done that."

Gently kissing her forehead, Ev shook his head. "It wasn't that big of a deal, Missy. I wanted to make sure they had a good start especially since we know it's two now, and they have had a good start." He motioned to her baby bump. "You're looking good."

She tenderly touched his cheek as a few tears fell down her face. "Thank you, Ev. You have to promise me something now though."

"What's that?"

"We're fully stocked now. You need to eat. The babies will need their daddy too."

"I will."

When the wedding party finished eating a short while later, Linda stood up and said, "Ok, we are having the bachelor and bachelorette parties next. The bachelorette party will be in Melissa's quarters, and the bachelor party will be here in the Mess. Let's let the bride and groom-to-be say good night to each other and we can head out."

Everett took Melissa to the corner. "I will miss you tonight, baby, but I want you to have fun, okay?"

His fiancée gave him an impish grin. "You have fun too, sweetheart, but don't get drunk." She noticed the surprised look he gave her. "I heard Brody was planning to debut his still tonight, and since I can't have any…"

Chuckling, Ev replied, "Wasn't planning to get drunk. I want to enjoy tomorrow. I'll probably just have one." He took her in his arms. "I love you, Missy. See you at the altar." He whispered in her ear. "Look in the bottom drawer of our desk after whoever else that stays goes to sleep tonight. I left you a surprise."

She whispered back, "Thanks." Then she kissed him and said in a normal tone of voice, "I love you too, Everett. See you at the altar."

The women then left the Mess and went to their party while the men got ready for theirs. When Missy and the other girls arrived at her quarters, Linda said, "Okay, we're probably gonna get pretty crowded in here. I'm expecting most of the female crew." She gazed at Melissa. "Right?"

"Well, I did invite everyone I saw," said Missy with a smile.

"That's fine. I thought we'd start with some games, and TJ and Chloe are going to go get some samples from Mr. Brody's still later. Sorry, you won't be able to have any, Melissa."

"That's all right."

The room gradually filled up with women, and a few moments later, Linda got the group's attention. "Okay, we're gonna start with some games. The first game is a rhyming game. The object is: the first person needs to think of a word having to do with a wedding, and then the next one tries to say a word that rhymes with it, and we go around the circle seeing how many words we can think of that rhyme. Now, they probably won't all be wedding related, and that's okay. Who wants to start?"

"I'll start," said TJ. She thought for a moment and then said, "My word is veil."

Melissa spoke up. "Pail."

"Kale," said Chloe.

The women continued to speak as they went around the circle coming up with selections such as tail, mail, trail, bail, nail, and sail. When Sergeant Baker asked if homonyms counted, Linda thought about it and said, "Sure, but you have to spell and say which word you mean." They spent the next few minutes playing the game having a good time trying to outdo each other. When they were finished playing that game, they played a few more games after which TJ and Chloe went to get some samples from Mr. Brody's still and some water for Melissa.

After they came back, TJ poured the drinks, and everyone settled back for a relaxed chat. While they were chatting, Camille Wray, the IOA human resource manager, asked, "So, Linda, what's our next game going to be?"

Linda smiled and said, "It's going to be something called Truth or Lie, thought it would help us see how well we knew each other. The object is: you say two things that are true about yourself and one that isn't, and we have to guess which one isn't."

A superior look came over Wray's face. "Well, I guess I'll have the advantage in that one."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, I know what's in everyone's HR files." She looked around at all of them. "I'll know when each of you is lying?"

Rolling her eyes as she considered how to keep Camille from ruining the party, Melissa shook her head and said, "Each of us is more than what are in those damn files, Camille. I thought you would have learned that by now."

"What do you mean by that, Dr. Mitchell?" She put a special emphasis on the last name since she had not been happy with any of the wedding planning that had been going on that week considering it a waste of time from what the mission should be. It had even been hard getting information to tell the IOA as the civilians had been generally happy with how things were being handled by the military, and she knew that a big reason for that had been the influence the other woman had among the people on the ship.

"It means just what I said it means. Nothing too complicated. Those files don't contain everything there is to know about us." Melissa knew that Everett would be unhappy with her for what she was about to do, but she couldn't resist wanting to wipe the smirk off Camille's face. "Tell you what, I'll go first, and you tell me what I'm lying about."

"All right."

The other women settled back to watch the action as Missy began speaking. "I got my two doctorates from Colorado State University; I'm 36 years old; and I won the US all-around gymnastics championship in 1993."

"Oh, that's easy. I'm disappointed. I thought you were smarter than that. You're lying about the last one."

Missy gave a sardonic chuckle. "Not quite, Camille. Are you keeping track of the Earth date and year?"

"Of course." She gazed at her watch. "It's December 15, 2009."

"And when's my birthdate?"

"May 1, 1974."

"Okay, think real hard. Am I thirty-six yet?"

Doing the math in her head, Camille realized that the other woman had fooled her. "No, you won't be thirty-six until next May. Do you mean you actually won the gymnastics championship?"

"I did. The next time you use the communication stones you can look it up." Melissa grinned with satisfaction. "Make sure you read the story about how Bela Karolyi thought I was the best vaulter that ever competed."

Chloe piped up, "You knew Bela Karolyi?"

"Sure did. He was my coach. I could tell you all kinds of stories. Oh, and Camille, it will be under my maiden name. You do know that, don't you?"

The IOA representative thought for a moment and then realized there had only been one name in the file, and a furious look came over her face. "It's not Mitchell, is it?"

"Nope. That makes two things you didn't know about me. I think I've proven my point."

Knowing that she had been bested, Camille got up and stomped out of the room angrily. After she had left and the door had closed, the other women applauded and Lisa Park said, "Thank you, Melissa. I'm getting tired of that woman thinking she knows everything. She needed to be put in her place. You don't think she's gonna go running off to use the stones now, do you?"

"Not tonight, she won't. And not tomorrow during the wedding either. Everett's locked them up. He wanted everyone to be able to come to the parties tonight if they wanted to."

"That's good," said Linda. She asked the group, "Do we want to play more of Truth or Lie, or do we want to give Melissa her shower presents?"

TJ said, "Let's do the shower presents." She took a basket out from behind the chair. "I'll think you'll like what we put together, Melissa."


	9. Chapter 9

See You at the Altar – Chapter 9

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

As the women continued the party, Camille was angrily walking down the hallway. She couldn't believe she had been bested by someone who she thought never should have been involved with the stargate program. When she passed the door to the communications room, she decided to use the stones to go and check her story, but stopped when the door wouldn't open. "What the hell!" Deciding to go and find out what the problem was, she walked over to the Mess where the men were having their party. Entering the room, Camille noticed several men having a loud and raucous conversation and saw some others, including the Colonel, sitting at one of the tables. She walked straight up to Everett and said, "Why the hell is the communications room locked?"

Everett gave a sardonic chuckle, having known that the likelihood of this happening had been high. "Why, good evening, Camille. Don't you know you're in the wrong place? The women's party is down the hall." A few members of the military laughed at her obvious consternation.

Not appreciating being laughed at, Camille said, "You should have told me you were going to lock the room up."

"It was my decision. I wanted everyone to have a chance to celebrate tonight so I had Dr. Rush encode the room. He'll decode it after the wedding tomorrow. And I told Earth we would be incommunicado. Why did you want to use it anyway?"

She made a visible effort to bring herself back under control and plastered a smile on her face. "Oh, no reason, Colonel. Just wanted to check something out. I can do it tomorrow."

"Very good. Have a pleasant evening." He motioned to the door.

"Good evening." She walked out of the Mess.

Once she had left, Dr. Rush sat down next to Ev and said, "I wonder what our government busybody wanted."

Giving him a grim smile, Ev said, "Don't know. You and Scott will need to keep an eye on her while I'm on my honeymoon."

"That won't be a problem. I can just see her trying to sneak Telford on the ship, and we can't have that."

"No, we can't." They rejoined the celebration.

Meanwhile, Melissa and the others were having a good time at the women's party. She had opened the gifts the others had either made or pilfered from their supplies for her. Her favorites had been the small bottles of lotion and soap that one of the other scientists had found in Dr. Palmer's luggage and the maternity tunic and nightgown that Linda and Alaina had fashioned from the clothes that had been in the closet where they had found the wedding gown. Linda said, "Every woman deserves to look nice on her wedding night, and we thought you would like this."

Carefully gazing at the nightgown, Missy noticed it was white with beaded trim and had been extended with panels of cloth in the front. She held it up against herself and saw that it would fall to mid-calf length on her. "Oh, this is so pretty, Linda. Thank you." She carefully folded it and put it in the drawer.

"You're welcome."

The women continued to have fun at the party for another hour and then people started to leave after telling Melissa how much fun they had had. When everyone had left, except for TJ and Chloe who were spending the night, Missy said, "Ok, how are we going to do this?" She pointed to the bed. "There's probably enough room there for one of you to sleep if you want."

"That's okay," said TJ who pulled out a sleeping bag. "I'm gonna sleep on the floor, and I think Chloe's gonna take the sofa."

Chloe grinned as she sat down. "There's plenty of room here. Practically palatial compared to where the guys are sleeping."

Missy looked at her curiously. "And where are they sleeping?"

"They're sleeping in Matthew's and my quarters. All the guys in the wedding party are over there."

"Wait a minute." Missy started laughing. "That's six guys if you count Eli."

"You're right. That's why I said this was palatial."

"Nice. Guess that's why they wanted to come back here to dress in the morning."

"Yes. All right, we should go ahead and get some sleep."

The other girls agreed, and they wished each other a good night. About thirty minutes later, Melissa noticed that the other two were fast asleep and cautiously got up. She reached into the bottom drawer of the desk and found what Everett had left for her. Noticing that it was a walkie-talkie, she quietly walked out to the hallway and closed the door. Then she toggled it and whispered, "Ev, it's Missy. Are you there?"

Everett's familiar deep voice came from the unit. "I was hoping you'd find it, baby. Did you girls have a good time?"

"We did. Camille tried to ruin it, but I fixed her good. Everyone clapped when she left."

Her fiancé started laughing. "So, that's why she came to the Mess. Do I need to know what you did?"

"Well," She paused for a moment. "I'll tell you if you promise not to get mad."

"You ought to know by now I can't stay mad at you, honey. Go on."

"Well, we were playing Truth and Lie, and she was bragging that she could tell when any of us were lying because she knew what was in our HR files. I told her that we weren't the sum of our HR file, but she wasn't convinced. Anyway, I told her three things about me, and she thought I was lying about winning the all-around back in 93 when I was actually lying about my age. And when I told her to look it up the next time she used the stones, I told her that it was also under my maiden name. I know for sure now Jack expunged my file when I married Cameron because she didn't know what my maiden name was. She was so mad."

Laughing once more, Ev said, "Baby, I should be upset, but I'm not. I wish I could have seen the look on her face. It was gonna come out sooner or later that your maiden name was Hammond anyway. And it doesn't have any bearing now that your dad is gone. You do need to be careful though. Camille is the one person that would be happy to see both of us gone."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Remember, happy day tomorrow. Listen, I had a question for you. After we're married, are you gonna want people to call you Dr. Young?"

"Of course." A soft smile lit Melissa's face as she stood in the hallway. "I tend to be traditional in some things. That's one of them."

"Cool."

They continued to chat with one another. "You know, Everett, I do have one wish."

"What's that?"

"I wish I could see my mama. Ever since I remembered everything four years ago, I've missed her so much."

"I know you have." He turned to see Dr. Rush nod at him in greeting as he sat down. "I would have liked it if my parents and your parents could have known their grandchildren."

While Ev waited for Missy to reply, Nicholas leaned over and whispered, with a grin, "Cheating, are we, Colonel?"

Ev grinned as he whispered back, "Maybe." He heard a strangled sound come from the walkie. "Missy, Missy, what is it?" When he heard her say the words mama and daddy, he shared a concerned look with Rush and said, "Missy, if you don't answer, I'm gonna come where you are, tradition be damned." She didn't say anything, and he and Rush ran over to the next corridor where they saw Melissa staring at two human-appearing figures in shock. He went up to her, put his arm around her waist, and asked, "Who are they, baby?"

She looked over at him, gently caressed his cheek, and answered, "It's my parents, Ev, my mama and daddy. They're here right after I wished it." Tears started pouring down her face.

The two men gazed at the other two figures in amazement as the woman with long dark hair stepped forward and warmly smiled at them. "Hello Everett. Hello Dr. Rush. Everett, we met a few times when you were a child. Before I ascended, my name was Katherine Allen, and this was my husband Charles. And as you can probably guess, we were Melissa's biological parents."

"Whoa!" exclaimed Everett. "I remember that. So, everything we were told was true?"

"About your background? Yes, it was. We and your parents had every intention of telling you ourselves when you were both grown, but our premature ascension prevented that. It was always meant for you and Melissa to be together."

Ev looked over at his pregnant fiancée who had put her arm around his waist. "I love your daughter and the children who are coming very much."

"We know." The other figure spoke for the first time. "It pleased us greatly when the two of you found your way back to each other." Charles smiled at his daughter. "When you came to visit us as a child, we could sense that you and Melissa had a connection that would be long-lasting. Very few Alterans in our day had the empathic link that the two of you do."

Hesitantly raising her hand, Missy said, "Daddy, I wished I could see you tonight because I wanted to ask you a question. You died when I was so young, and then I didn't remember for so long. I appreciated everything the Hammonds did for me, but something always felt like it was missing. Anyway, what I wanted to ask was: Are you and Mama proud of me, of the person I've become?"

Katherine reached out and touched her daughter with her ghost-like hand. "Of course we are, honey. You have been through so much, and you have grown into a beautiful woman who I know is going to be a wonderful mother."

"Thank you, Mama."

A voice came from behind them. It was Nicholas who had been staring at the scene in fascination. "When I first heard that the Colonel and the lass had been told they were Alteran, I wasn't sure what to think. But, they've both been instrumental in discovering things about this ship and have turned all of us into a real crew. So, I'm grateful for that. What I wanted to ask is: Why are you here tonight?"

"Oh, that's easy," said Charles. "The four of us wanted to give our blessing to their bonding."

"Four of you?"

Two more figures appeared behind Charles and Katherine, and they floated over to the rest of the group. The female, who had long brown hair, replied, "We didn't want to miss this either." She spoke to Ev. "Hello Everett. It's been a long time."

Staring at the two new figures in shock, Ev said, "Oh my God, it's my parents." Emotion came over his face. "Mama, I understood a lot about my childhood after we saw David for the first time."

His mother, whose name had been Bethany Young, said, "I'm sorry you were not told before the accident that killed us."

"Yes," said his father whose name had been Thomas Young. "You were actually old enough to hear the truth, but we were waiting for Melissa to be old enough."

"I understand," replied Ev. "I have so many questions. How did you come to Earth?"

"We had ascended, but had disobeyed the rules on interfering with life on the lower plain so we were abandoned on Earth. One of the Ancients, whose name was Oma Desala, said that the Council had thought it the ultimate punishment since Earth was in a different galaxy from Altera."

"Wait a minute," said Dr. Rush. "I thought people who left ascension didn't have any memory of their time there. How would you know of your background to tell your children?"

"That is true of humans," said Bethany, "But not of Alterans. We stayed together for the first year, but then became concerned about attracting the attention of the authorities so we moved to a different state from where Charles and Katherine were. We did stay in touch and visited once or twice a year."

Katherine spoke up. "The first time they visited after you were born, Melissa, we realized that you and Everett had a very strong empathic bond—even stronger than what we had known on Altera. That's when we knew we had to make sure you knew what your background was when you were grown. We were frantic when we were unable to locate Bethany and Thomas shortly after Everett turned 19. It didn't take long for Charles to find out they had been killed in a car accident, but there was no trace of Everett."

"I was at the Air Force Academy," said Everett. "I went home for the funeral, but there was nothing in the paperwork about the two of you, or I would have called you."

"I know," said his father. "That was our mistake. We were too cautious. I'm sorry about that."

Charles said, "We didn't give up looking for him as we continued to raise you and your sister, Melissa. Of course, you remember that Anna was a difficult child. I think she sensed that she wasn't our biological child though we never came out and told her. Anyway, two years passed, and Anna finished her schooling and went to college. That was the year we went on the trip where we were killed, and you were hurt."

Tears came down Missy's face, and Everett clasped her hand. "I remember, Daddy. When those men shot you and Mama, I was so scared because I knew I was alone then. I remember hearing a voice telling me to run."

"That was Oma," said Katherine. "She helped us to ascend once more, and she said it was important that you got to a place of safety. You fell and hurt your head, but instinct took you to the military base where you were found."

"And that's where I met the Hammonds, and they adopted me."

"Yes, Oma said that George Hammond would be important when Earth figured out how to work their stargate and it would put you in a position to find out about Altera one day."

Nicholas gave them a curious look. "Did she say anything about them being on this ship?"

Shaking her head as she softly chuckled, Katherine replied, "We don't predict the future to that extent, Dr. Rush, although we have steered both of them onto paths that brought them into contact with the stargate program." She then gazed back at her daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law. "Do you have any other questions?"

A thought came to Ev. "Yes, I do. Is the Alteran ship still on its way to find us?" He looked at Missy tenderly. "I want to make sure we have plenty of help for the delivery of the babies."

Bethany smiled at her son. "It is. They have to ping their jumps off of Destiny's location so it's important that you don't go off the path of the programmed course."

"We won't. I'm just glad that our medic will have help. She's been nervous about handling the delivery."

"She will have plenty of help."

"That's good."

Thomas said, "We all thought about the blessing we wanted to give you while we were here tonight, and there was something we heard one time on Earth that is very similar to an Alteran wedding blessing. It comes from the Apache Indian tribe."

The four of them began speaking as one.

"Now you will feel no rain

For each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now each of you will feel no cold

For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no loneliness for you

For each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two persons

But there is one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness

And may your days be good and long upon the earth."

When they were finished, Katherine smiled as she gazed behind Everett, Missy, and Dr. Rush. "You have a wonderful family here, Melissa and Everett." They turned around to see TJ, Chloe, Scott, Greer, Mac, and Eli staring at the scene in fascination. "And you are going to have a wonderful life. We love you both."

Melissa held her hand out to touch the image of her mother that was starting to fade. With tears coming down her face, she said, "I love you, Mama. I love you, Daddy. Thank you."

"Yes, thank you," said Everett. He looked at his parents. "I love you both too." They nodded in response, and all four figures disappeared. Once they were gone, he turned to Melissa who was nestled in the crook of his arm. "Are you okay, baby?"

She nodded as she gently brushed the side of his face. "Yeah, I am. It was the one thing I really wanted, and it came true."


	10. Chapter 10

See You at the Altar – Chapter 10

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

A voice came from behind them. It was Sergeant Greer who asked, "Sir, can I ask who or what that was?"

Dr. Rush replied, "Well, Sergeant, you just got your first look at ascended Alterans."

"Serious? Wow, that's cool."

"Yes, that is cool," said Eli. "Who were they?"

Pointing to Everett and Melissa who were quietly talking to each other, Rush said, "Their parents wanted to bless the wedding tomorrow. I've never been so touched by anything in my life." He gazed at Scott. "Did you hear the actual blessing?"

The young lieutenant replied, "I heard the last part."

"Let me get with you on the entire thing. I think it would be nice if that were read at the ceremony tomorrow."

He nodded in response as Ev and Missy turned to the rest of them. Ev remarked, "I guess you know we're not crazy now," indicating himself and his fiancée.

"Never thought you were, Sir," said Greer with a warm smile. "How long has it been since your parents…?" He glanced at Rush. "What's the correct word? Oh yeah, ascended."

"Twenty-five years."

Melissa replied, "A little over twenty-three years, and I spent most of that time with amnesia because of my head injury and witnessing what happened to them. It was only four years ago that I remembered everything. I feel whole now and ready to start on the next chapter." She hugged Everett close to her and then glanced at her watch. "Wow, it's after 1AM. It's hard to believe no one else woke up."

Speaking for the first time since they had all gathered, Chloe said, motioning to her and TJ, "We saw a light in the room that woke us up, and it led us out here."

"We did too," said Mac.

"I guess they wanted you to see them too," said Ev. He motioned to his and Missy's quarters. "Do we want to chat for a few minutes?"

The others agreed, and they all walked into the room. When everyone had sat down, TJ said, "What happened, Sir? How did you first know they were here?"

"Well," He gave the group an apologetic look. "Missy and I were talking over the radio, and I heard her gasp and say the words mama and daddy."

Chloe grinned and winked at him impishly. "So, you were cheating?"

He grinned back at her. "Maybe. Anyway, Rush here…" Everett motioned to Dr. Rush. "Had just come out of the room, and when Missy didn't answer me, we ran over here."

Gazing around at all her friends, Missy said, "I had just told Everett that I wished I could see my mama, and then they just appeared. It was amazing. Oh, and you'll like this. They confirmed that the Alteran ship was coming. So, barring any unforeseen problems, we should meet up with them in three months."

"That is fantastic," said Chloe.

"Yes, it is," said Nicholas. "I have so many questions I want to ask. I wonder if they're going to have extra power to give to our stargate or if they're going to take us somewhere else to gate back to Earth." A wistful expression came over his face.

Missy smiled at him, recognizing the longing to learn more about Destiny and what its mission was. "I don't think they'll kick us off right away, Nicholas. At least, they probably won't kick me and Everett off, and if you're nice…." She grinned and winked at him as the group chuckled.

Raising his hand, Mac asked, "Does that mean, Melissa that you and the Colonel are going to be staying with the Alterans when they come?"

She turned to look at Ev who replied to the question. "We haven't completely decided yet, but we do know that when they come, our background is going to come out, and people on Earth will find out we're not human. I don't want to put myself, Missy, or our children in the position of being confined to Area 51. I love the three of them too much for that." He tightened his arm around her shoulders as she nestled into the crook of it.

"Well," said Chloe, "We have three months before we have to worry about that. First thing is to get the two of you married tomorrow. That means we all should get some more sleep."

"That's right," said Melissa who leaned over and kissed Ev's cheek. "Because you won't be sleeping tomorrow night."

Raising his eyebrows, Everett grinned as he replied, "I won't?"

"Nope. Remember how we've been practicing being inventive?" At his acknowledging nod, she continued, "Well, tomorrow night, I'm going to be even more inventive." She winked at him.

The group burst out laughing as the men got up to leave. Greer said, "Wow, Sir, I didn't know you could blush like that."

"And I'll deny it if you tell anyone else," said Ev with a joking smile. He took Missy in his arms and kissed her. "Get some rest, baby. I'll see you at the altar. I love you."

"I love you too," said Missy. The guys left and the girls got back in the bed wishing each other a good night. As Missy closed her eyes, she realized she was anticipating the future with joy and happiness instead of dread and sorrow, and that brought a measure of contentment she had not had for a long time. When she woke up the next morning, the contentment was still there, and she smiled thinking of what was going to happen that day. She saw the other girls' eyes open. "Good morning."

"Morning," said TJ.

Chloe said the same and then said, "Today is your wedding day, Melissa. Are you excited?"

Missy grinned at her. "Like you don't know. Remind me of the schedule this morning."

"Well, we get to go get our rations first. After we're done, the guys will go to get theirs while we are getting cleaned up at the showers. When we finish getting cleaned up, we'll get dressed, and I'll fix your hair. Around 11:45, Dr. Rush will come to get you, and we'll head over to the Control Room. Mike and Eli will start the processional music, and we will begin walking down the aisle at 12:00 sharp."

"Very cool. Well, let's get ready." The girls put on their regular clothes and went over to the Mess where they found several of the other women involved with the wedding preparations. As they sat down at one of the tables, Melissa said, "Morning Linda, morning, Alaina, morning Lindsay."

Smiling at her warmly, Linda said, "Good morning, Melissa. Are you excited?"

"Yes, I actually am."

The group began eating once Becker brought their rations to them. While they were eating, Lindsay said, "I helped with the decorations last night after the party was done. I think you'll like how the Gate Room looks, Melissa."

"I'm looking forward to seeing it." Lindsay got up to refill her canteen. While she was gone, Missy turned to Linda and asked, "How is she doing?"

Linda replied, "I think she's feeling better. She told me about the baby last night and said it was nice not to be scared anymore."

"I still can't believe no one knew what those idiots were doing. Well, they can't hurt her anymore now."

The older woman touched her shoulder. "Melissa, I just wanted to tell you what a privilege it has been doing this for you and the Colonel this week. Both of you are good people, and I can really tell that you care about everyone aboard this ship."

When the other women echoed Linda's sentiments, a few tears came down Melissa's face. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"You're welcome." Lindsay came back, and the group continued to eat their rations.

After they finished a few minutes later, Missy, TJ, and Chloe headed over to take showers while Linda, Alaina, and Lindsay went to the room where the Ancient closet was located. They spent a few minutes relaxing under the mist and then cleaned themselves off. Once they were done with that, they went over to where they were going to get dressed for the ceremony. Missy sat down in one of the chairs, and Chloe began combing out her hair while Linda began fixing TJ's hair. They all had a pleasant time talking and laughing with one another. Once Chloe was finished, she asked Missy, "You wanted your hair braided and then put up, right?"

"That's right," said Melissa. She handed her some fasteners. "I brought these with me. Do you think it will stay up?"

"I think it will." She braided her hair and then pulled it into a topknot leaving a few wisps out. Pointing to the mirror, she said, "Go see what you think?"

The other woman walked over and looked at her image in fascination. "Oh, Chloe, it's lovely. Thank you." Lindsay and Alaina then helped Melissa step into her wedding dress while Linda finished TJ's hair and fixed Chloe's hair. After they were done, the girls finished getting dressed, and all three of them put on the make-up that one of the other scientists had donated. Melissa gazed at her friends and told them, "Both of you look gorgeous."

"We're supposed to say that to you, Melissa," said TJ with a grin. "And you do look gorgeous. I think Lindsay is going to win the pool hands down."

"Thank you, TJ." A thought came to her. "What's the prize for this pool?"

"An extra water ration and a pass to skip KP duty."

Lindsay piped up, "The pass would be nice. The smells in the Mess have been making me sick." She stroked her stomach.

Grinning at her friend, Missy said, "Well, I hope you win it then." She placed her hand on her own extended stomach. "I was sick some on Icarus and right after we first got here." She felt the babies kick. "Whoa!"

"What is it?" asked TJ.

"The babies are kicking." She pointed to the spot. "You can come feel if you want." All the women came to feel the kicks. "They're doing that on and off, and sometimes it feels like they're playing soccer. Everett can calm them down though."

"That's good."

The women continued to chat until the door chimed about thirty minutes later. Linda opened it up to reveal Dr. Rush who greeted them. "Good morning, ladies." He then noticed Melissa in her gown. "Oh, lass, you look lovely. They should have your picture in the dictionary next to blushing bride."

Smiling at the man she had come to respect over the last several weeks, Missy said, "Thank you, Nicholas."

He offered her his arm. "Are you ready to walk to your future?"

"Oh, yes."

She took his arm, and they and the other ladies walked towards the Gate Room. When they arrived at the entrance, Linda and Alaina stepped in and came back out with three bouquets of flowers. After they handed them to Missy and the other two women, Linda said, "Okay, everyone is in there. As soon as the music starts, Chloe, you'll start walking, then you, TJ, and finally, Melissa and Dr. Rush. Are we ready?"

The girls eagerly nodded, and Linda ducked back in the Gate Room. A moment later, the song Melissa had picked started playing. Chloe grinned and winked at the other two and turned to walk down the aisle. After she reached the front where the men were standing, TJ began her walk getting to the end of the aisle seconds later. When she turned to look at the door, Dr. Rush held out his arm which Missy took. As they walked down the aisle, she could feel her children kicking with excitement and thought, 'Ok, you two, cool it for a few minutes so I can marry your father, please.'

When the audience first stood up to watch Missy coming in, Everett had strained to catch a glimpse of his bride. He gasped in awe at her beauty and saw the smile that was for him alone. Mac nudged him, and when he turned to see what he wanted, he said, "Breathe, Sir. I think Ms. Wilson did just what she said she was going to do."

"You're right," whispered Ev. "Thanks."

Melissa and Dr. Rush joined the group at the front, and he smiled in greeting as they turned to Lieutenant Scott. The audience sat back down and quieted so Scott could speak. "Good afternoon. Today we are here to celebrate a joyous occasion—the marriage of Colonel Everett Young and Dr. Melissa Mitchell. First, I would like to ask, 'Who gives this woman to be married?'"

Nicholas replied, "I do," and then placed Missy's hand in Ev's and went to sit in the audience.

Continuing to speak, Scott said, "Melissa, Everett, please face each other and hold hands." They did so, and before the young lieutenant could say anything else, Missy could see Ev mouth the words, 'Beautiful, you are so beautiful.' Then Scott said, "Now repeat your vows to one another."

Everett said, "I, Everett, take you, Melissa, to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, til death do us part."

Next, Melissa said her vows. "I, Melissa, take you, Everett, to be my lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, til death do us part."

After she finished speaking, Scott took out a piece of paper. "When I was going through premarital counseling with them this week, I found out that they had both been raised in the same state. I asked Dr. Rush, and he happened to know of a wedding blessing that was representative of one of the groups that lived in that state. I would like to read it now." He began reading the blessing that Ev and Missy's parents had given the previous evening.

"Now you will feel no rain

For each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now each of you will feel no cold

For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no loneliness for you

For each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two persons

But there is one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness

And may your days be good and long upon the earth."

Once he was finished, Everett turned to Mac who handed him one of the wedding rings. He then turned back to Melissa and put the ring on her finger saying, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Missy turned to TJ who gave her the other ring after which she faced Ev again and placed the ring on his ring finger saying, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Scott said, "It is now my pleasure to pronounce you man and wife. Colonel, you may kiss your bride." Ev took Missy in his arms and kissed her deeply. When they came up for breath amidst all of the whistles and catcalls, Scott spoke up once more, "It is my great pleasure to introduce for the first time, Colonel Everett Young and Dr. Melissa Young. You are welcome to come and offer congratulations and then stay for the reception."


	11. Chapter 11

See You at the Altar – Chapter 11

Author's Notes: refer to first chapter

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Everyone got up with some of the crew forming a line to congratulate Everett and Melissa while the others put up the chairs so there would be more room for dancing. Once they had finished, Sergeant Harper announced, "Ok, it's time for the first dance by the bride and groom."

Melissa and Everett came to the center of the Gate Room floor as Mike began playing the first song on the cd he had compiled which was the Rascal Flatts song "Every Day". Taking his bride in his arms, Ev and Missy began to sway around the room. As they danced, he asked, "So, Dr. Young are you happy?"

Grinning as she heard her married name, Missy replied, "Oh, yes. You don't know how much. How about you?"

"I don't know if I've ever been as happy as I am right at this very moment. I'm not even sure I want to let you dance with anyone else."

Missy softly chuckled as she pulled him as close to her as her extended abdomen would allow. "If I do, it won't be for very long. I'd rather be in your arms." She placed his hand on her belly. "The babies would rather me be here too."

He could feel kicking. "Wow, they're sure excited." He talked to her stomach. "Could you guys calm down just a bit so Mama and I can enjoy ourselves?" When it stopped, he grinned at his wife. "Daddy worked his magic again."

"Yes, you did, Everett. Thank you." She leaned forward and kissed him. When the song ended, they were joined on the floor by other couples, and everyone continued to dance. At one point, Melissa gazed over at TJ and saw that she was dancing with Mac. She nudged Ev. "Look, TJ and Mac are dancing together."

Looking in their direction, Everett saw the younger two officers and then turned back to his wife and winked at her. "Why, yes they are. Are we going to be matchmakers now?"

"Maybe." She gazed around at the rest of the dancers and was surprised to see a pair in one corner. "Whoa!" She directed Ev's glance in that direction. "Look who else is dancing."

Turning in the direction she indicated, Everett saw Dr. Rush dancing with Linda Wilson. He looked back over at Missy. "Whoa is right. I didn't think she'd be his type."

"Well, I'm pleased. If he had someone to be with, he wouldn't work all the time, and he wouldn't be so sad either."

He touched her face gently. "That's one of the reasons I love you so much. Not only are you beautiful on the outside; you're beautiful on the inside, and you care so much about people. I know I would have been a much different person if I had been stranded here without you."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too."

The two of them continued to dance. A few minutes later, Sergeant Harper tapped the Colonel on the back. "Sir, Eli and I are ready to do the first dedication."

Everett's eyes lit up. He touched his wife's arm. "I picked this song just for you, baby. I hope you like it."

"I know I will," said Missy.

She watched as Ev walked to where Eli and Mike had the computer set up. Mike called for everyone's attention. "This will be the first of two dedications we're going to do this afternoon. I'm gonna let the Colonel speak."

"Hope everyone's having a good time," said Ev. He smiled gently at Melissa. "I picked this song to dedicate to my bride because it says everything that's important to me now." He indicated to Mike that he could start the music, and as he heard the first notes of Trace Adkins' song "All I Ask for Anymore", he began singing along with the vocalist. "'It was a home run when the game was tied. A pick-up truck when I could drive. One pink line when Katie said I'm late. It was a passing grade, a pretty girl, all the money in the world. What mattered then kept changing every day.' When the chorus started, he gazed directly at Missy who was beaming with joy. 'But when I bow my head tonight. There'll be no me, myself, and I. Just watch my wife and kids, please Lord. That's all I ask for anymore.' He continued to sing putting all of his feelings and his love for his wife into the words. By the time he reached the part before the final chorus, he could feel her love and joy through their link and could see tears of happiness pouring down her face. 'Let them outlive me by a hundred years. Let their laughter dry up all their tears. Let them love and be loved back like I have been. When I bow my head tonight. There'll be no me, myself, and I. Just watch my wife and kids, please Lord. That's all I ask for anymore. That's all that matters anymore.'" The song stopped playing, and the crowd erupted in applause. He bowed and blew a kiss to Missy walking back over to her as another song started playing. When he was standing next to her again, he asked, "So, what did you think?"

Softly smiling at him, Missy replied, "That was amazing. I didn't know you could sing like that."

"I didn't either. But Mike and Eli both said it was good so I decided I wanted to sing it to you."

She put her arms around him and gave him a hug. "Well, I liked it. I hope you like mine later. Do we want to get something to drink and a snack before we dance anymore?"

"Sure."

They walked over to the table where all the canteens and snacks were and took drinks of water and had pieces of fruit before returning to the dance floor. About thirty minutes later, Eli tapped Melissa's shoulder. "Dr. Young, we're ready to do your dedication now."

"Thank you, Eli," said Missy. Before she walked off, she grinned and winked at Ev. "Your turn now. I hope you like it."

She then turned to go off with the young computer genius. They went over to the computer, and Mike stopped the music. He motioned to Melissa. "It's time for our second dedication of the day. Go ahead Dr. Young."

"Thanks Mike." She smiled at her husband. "This day has been a long day coming. The song I chose, I hope, reflects the feelings I have for this incredible man." She motioned to Mike and Eli that they could begin playing the music and began singing along with the vocalist when she started singing. As Melissa sang through the first two verses and the chorus, she barely noticed that the room had quieted as focused as she was on the words of the song. When she got to the final verse and chorus, Melissa sang with a voice that reflected all the love she felt for Ev, 'Nothing makes sense when you're not here. As if my whole world disappears. Without you, what's the point of anything? Cause everyone that sees you always wants to know you. And everyone that knows you always has a smile. You're the dream that I've been chasing after years of waiting for a chance to fall and shine. Everyone calls you amazing, I just call you mine. Everyone calls you amazing, yeah, yeah, I just call you mine.'" The room erupted in applause when she finished with cheers and whistles coming from the group that was in there. She bowed and acknowledged the applause blowing a kiss to her husband who was applauding madly with a huge smile on his face. Walking back over to him, she gave him a hug and kiss and said, "So, what did you think?"

Everett grinned as he took her in his arms. "That was incredible, baby. I'm surprised you never considered a singing career."

His wife shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you know me; I had a lot of irons in the fire. I'm glad you liked it."

"I most certainly did." They danced for a while longer with each other and with their friends. While Missy was dancing with Dr. Rush, Everett went to find Linda. He came up behind her tapping her on the shoulder. "Ms. Wilson, can I speak with you for a moment?"

The older woman flashed him a friendly smile. "Yes, Colonel, what can I do for you?"

"Well, Missy doesn't know I'm doing this, but Dr. Rush found another corridor with sets of quarters on it, and one of them has a fantastic view. That's where I'm taking her for our honeymoon. I know you all were giving her some shower presents last night, and I was wondering if you would be willing to go in our quarters and make sure everything was in the duffel bag before I came to get it."

"I can do that. I know where she put the one specific thing that she'll need tonight. Let me go take care of that now."

"Thank you."

Linda left the room to take care of her errand and was back a short while later. Once Everett saw her walk in the room and nod to him, he asked his bride, "Are you ready, Missy?" When his bride nodded, he motioned to Linda who came over to them. "I think we're going to go ahead and leave. Can you have Sergeant Harper get everyone's attention?"

"Of course," replied Linda. She did so, and when the crowd was quiet, she addressed them. "Okay, the bride and groom are about to leave, and we're about to throw the bouquet to all the single ladies. I think Colonel Young wanted to say something first."

"Thank you, Ms. Wilson." He addressed the crowd. "On behalf of me and my bride, I just wanted to say thank you. Today has meant a lot to the both of us, and we really appreciate what everyone has done." Everyone applauded and whistled. "You can stay as long as Sergeant Harper and Eli want to stay, and Lieutenant Scott and Dr. Rush are in charge while I'm on my honeymoon." He nodded in response as everyone applauded again. "Ok, Ms. Wilson. I'm handing it back to you."

"Thank you, Colonel. All right, ladies, why don't you gather over here?" She indicated a spot on the floor. "And Melissa, come on over here." She indicated another spot. Missy walked over to where she was and turned around once she got there. "Okay, give it your best throw."

Melissa threw the bouquet of flowers and turned around once she heard an excited squeal. Seeing that TJ had caught it, she grinned at her friend and held her thumb up. She then turned to her husband and said, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," said Ev with a warm smile. They ran out of the Gate Room to the excited cheers of their friends and the rest of the crew it having been decided that nothing would be thrown as it wouldn't be prudent to waste anything like paper or the flowers they had found on the planet. When they were far enough away, they slowed down, and he put his arm around his wife. "We are married. I am so happy baby. I can't believe this day finally came."

"I know what you mean." She hugged and kissed him. "Are you finally gonna tell me where we're going to go for our honeymoon?"

"Oh, yes." He impishly grinned at her. "But, first, we have to go by our quarters so I can get your carry bag."

Thinking of the gown she had received from the other women the previous night, Missy said, "I need to put something in it before you pick it up."

He shook his head. "Already been taken care of. I asked Ms. Wilson to put anything in it that she thought you might need, and she went over there earlier."

"You are so good, sweetheart." They continued to walk with their arms around each other's waists. When they arrived at their quarters, he went in to get the bag and came back out. Walking to the end of the corridor, they took two additional turns and then came to a row of rooms Missy hadn't seen yet. She gazed at him curiously. "This looks deserted. Has anyone been down this way yet?"

"Yes, just a couple of days ago." He stopped at a door in the middle of the corridor. "All right, let me put this in here, and I'll come back and get you. You need to go over the threshold."

"You can't do that, Ev. I'm way too heavy now." Missy pointed to her extended abdomen.

Softly smiling at her, he said, "Sure, I can. I've been practicing. Be right back." He took the bag in and came back out. "Ok, here goes." He picked her up and carried her across the doorway. Once it had shut, he motioned to the window. "Go take a look."

She went to look out the window and saw the lights and colors of the area of space they were traveling through. "Oh this is beautiful, Ev, even more beautiful than the view from our quarters."

Her husband came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. Missy turned to look at him as he gently brushed her cheek and said, "Only a beautiful girl gets a beautiful view."

She tenderly kissed his lips. "Thank you, sweetheart. How long do we get to stay?"

"Well, barring any emergencies, no one is going to call us for forty-eight hours. I wanted time to spoil my wife. Becker's gonna send someone with rations for us twice a day, and there's a place to fill our canteens a few feet down. Scott and his team found this place the other day after Rush was able to open the corridor from his console. When I saw it, I knew you would enjoy it."

"I know I will." Melissa remembered the surprise she had for Everett. "I have a surprise for you too, but you have to wait for me to change. Can you help me step out of this dress?"

"Sure." Everett helped her step out of the wedding dress, and she took her bag into the bathroom. While she was changing, he placed it neatly on some chairs and stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers. A few moments later, he heard the sounds of her coming back into the main room and turned around. He was stunned silent for a moment by her appearance, her long hair loose and flowing down her back and wearing a gown that fell to mid-calf length. "Wow, you look fantastic!"

Shyly smiling at him, Missy replied, "You think so? Linda and Alaina made this for me and gave it to me last night. I wanted to look pretty for you tonight." She motioned to her abdomen. "I know we kind of did things half-assed backwards, but I wanted tonight to be special."

Recognizing that his wife needed a little reassurance, he walked over to her and gently lifted her face to his. "Missy, I have to tell you something. Seeing you there with your beauty—outer and inner, with that smile that always looks like it's just for me, and with your body…" He touched her abdomen gently. "Full of our children. Well that's the sexiest thing I have ever seen."

He knew he had made the right decision when he saw her face light up. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I've never loved anyone like I've loved you, and I should have insisted four years ago—told everyone else to go to hell. I love you, Melissa."

"I love you too, Ev."

Taking her in his arms, Ev said, "Okay let's see what we can do about being inventive." They started kissing each other, and he began maneuvering them towards the bed. And Missy's last thoughts before beginning to make love with her husband were that her wedding day had been the happiest day of her life.

The End


End file.
